Image source, Getty Images

When Italy arrived at Twickenham in 2009, coach Nick Mallet had to work out a solution to having all three scrum-halves injured.

He opted to stick Mauro Bergamasco, usually a flanker, at nine. It was a total car-crash.

The sort of performance that reminds you what a difference 20-odd years of practicing your spin pass makes.

You can see the lowlights in our report on England's 36-11 win.

Mauro is safely back at six today.

Image source, Getty Images

Barbarian hordes. Economic collapse. They played their part, but it seems the collapse of the Roman Empire might have had more to do with some of their centurions developing a penchant for a liquid lunch.

You can't march on pints of the black stuff. Not far anyway...

We asked you earlier whether you think England are real contenders for the World Cup, keep your texts and tweets coming on 81111 and #bbc6nations, external

Philip McDonald:, external This England squad are doing a lot for World Cup chances. Such strength in depth

Andrew Priestley:, external There's not enough international experience in this England squad to be considered as being genuine World Cup contenders.

Image source, PA

It is one thing to run out into a wall of 80,000 anonymous fans' white noise, it is quite another to see the paying public right in the pupils.

The difference between a stadium gig and a backroom in a scuzzy pub.

Chris Robshaw's men do their now-usual pre-match routine of disembarking the coach early and walking through the hordes to the changing room.

If that doesn't get the blood up, nothing will.

As well as posting fashion updates from around the ground, BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce has also penned an insightful piece looking at the Bath duo of Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson.

They are apparently satisfying the latest middle-management buzzword in the England camp: "Point of difference."

"This, for the uninitiated, is modern rugby's prosaic way of describing what is also known as the X-factor - a sprinkling of stardust, that rare ability to lift us punters off our seats and get our hearts and fists pumping," Tom explains.

Image source, @TomFordyce

Careful of the pork pie crumbs and port stains in the West car park my man....

Image source, @EnglandRugby

Some serious brow action in both skippers' game face....

Image source, BBC Sport

Is it too early to talk about averages after just one weekend of Six Nations rugby? Perhaps. But what the opening weekend does tell us is that England have, so far, been considerably more reliable in the set pieces than Italy.

I think we all know what England got up to on the tournament's opening weekend.

Their second-half comeback brought decibel levels plummeting at the Millennium Stadium, secured a 21-16 win over Wales and sent Stuart Lancaster skipping down the tunnel in delight.

What of Italy then? Well, a 26-3 scoreline against Ireland was possibly a little tough on Jacques Brunel's side.

Italy racked up 198 tackles - the fourth-highest in the history of the Six Nations - and looked pretty bullet-proof in defence before Leonardo Ghiraldini was shown a yellow card and, a man down, they started to leak.

Image source, Getty Images

Before you claim with all certainty that this England team, fresh from victory in Cardiff, is the one to beat the southern hemisphere's best in seven months time, take a look at the last England team to face Italy.

Brown; Nowell, Burrell, Twelvetrees, May; Farrell, Care; M Vunipola, Hartley, Wilson, Launchbury, Lawes, Wood, Robshaw, Morgan.

Just five of those players are in today's starting XV.

If serious rugby chat is your bag by the way, why not get on board the @bbcrugby, external Twitter train?

We are pumping out egg-shaped 140-character gold from there from now on.

To celebrate the fact that Joe Marler (now sadly without a mohawk) and Martin Castrogiovanni (still very much with trademark straggly locks) are scrumming down against each other, we are also looking for your nominations for the greatest hairdos in rugby, past or present.

Here is a lovely picture of French 80s icon Jean-Pierre Rives sporting a claret stripe through his platinum blond top to help get the juices flowing.

By the way, I think that is a clean-kneeded Serge Blanco in the background, looking down his nose at all that messy forwards business.

Image source, Getty Images

Social media.

It isn't just for posting pictures of your passed-out mates with pen on their face or laughing at how much Rafael Nadal looks like a large South American guinea pig thing., external

It is for serious rugby chat.

So your starter for 10 today: Is this new dawn for England the real World-Cup contending deal?

You can get in touch via, deep breath, #bbc6nations, external on Twitter, 81111 on text from UK mobiles, the BBC Sport Facebook page, external and the BBC Sport Google+ , external.

We are probably the only ones left on Friends Reunited and MySpace as well.

BBC Sport

There really is no excuse for not getting your recommended weekly dose of Six Nations on the BBC.

John Inverdale has already done his best Craig David impression, getting a rewind on Ireland legend Brian O'Driscoll's famous hat-trick against France in 2000. Six Nations Rewind was on BBC Two this morning. Highly recommended viewing and already on the iPlayer if you missed it...

Back to the future and England v Italy and Ireland v France are both live on BBC One with BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra taking to the airwaves from London and Dublin respectively.

We will also have a Six Nations Forum from 19:00 GMT on the Red Button to review the day's action and look out for the Six Nations Catch-Up - the biggest hits, the funniest moments and the best of the weekend's action in an eight-minute blast - online from early on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

The last time the teams met at Twickenham, back in 2013, England finished the match pinned on their own line as Italy came up just short of the converted try that would have tied the match.

The year before in a snowy Rome, Italy lead 15-6 in the second half only to be eventually overhauled 19-15.

Admittedly England handed out a 52-11 thumping in Rome in 2014, but we'll gloss over that for now...

Image source, Getty Images

Chris in white,

Sergio in blue,

Could today be the day,

To end Italy's hoodoo?

(Apologies all.)

The visitors have lost all 20 of their previous Tests against England, but if your old wizened heart doesn't buy that 15 Italians' love for their county can triumph over Stuart Lancaster's men, then use your head.

Image source, Getty Images

With more wooden spoons than a soup kitchen and wins in the Six Nations as rare as baby pandas, Italy are not feeling the bookmakers' love this morning.

The Azzurri are 1/100 to beat England at Twickenham today.

But if you can't believe in a bit of romance on 14 February when can you?