Italy celebrate their score against England but it proved to be short lived © Getty Images

They say it snows once every eight years in Rome. Fittingly or poetically, the Olimpico was indeed sheeted with snow for the Azzurri's Six Nations debut at the venue. The Italians began the match not at all intimidated by their opponents nor surroundings, and the backs and third-liners were playing aggressive defence. The forwards were also dominating the line-outs.

But the Azzurri's eagerness was at times taking the worst out of them, especially on the attack, when silly handling errors were keeping them from scoring during the first quarter of the match. It was all sounding too familiar: bruising Italians dominating the first stages of the match, but facing a side that doesn't lose its cool nor confidence for a second. Her Majesty's subjects were punishing enough themselves, and were also making sure the Italian backs didn't take any liberties once inside the English defensive line.

Indeed, after the mistake of Italy's most celebrated player, the English sink a penalty kick while surpassing the 500-point all-time mark against their Mediterranean adversaries.

At the 32-minute mark, the proverbial opera-singing tenor would have shouted 'tragedia!', followed by a desperate cry: Martín Castrogiovanni fractures at least one rib after a hard, clean blindside tackle and is lost for perhaps the remainder of the tournament. Right after that, another penalty and three more points for England with four minutes left in the half.

When all seemed lost, however, captain Parisse lifted the team's spirits by recovering a ball which looked all but lost in a ruck, after which the Azzurri followed through with their attack, forced a couple of defensive mistakes on the English and recorded a try, not converted, but wholeheartedly celebrated by a 72,000-plus crowd. And at the last play of the half, superstitious fellows would be figuring it was big Castrogiovanni jinxing it, because the Azzurri capitalised on an improbable Ben Foden mistake to run almost the length of the field and ground the ball between the posts for seven points.

At the return, the question was whether the young Italian side would be battle-scarred enough to hold off the English. The first answer to that question was 'no' when Burton's incomprehensible long-distance drop goal attempt went for naught at the three-minute mark. Nevertheless, after two runs taken by the English against Sergio Parisse, which brought fears of yet another match-ending injury to a top-notch player, Burton fixed his boot and recorded three more points from the ensuing penalty.

They were to be the Azzurri's last in the match.

Any doubts the English would be able to regroup were smashed by a textbook, deep charge-down on Andrea Masi, of all people, delivered and followed by Charlie Hodgson for a try, subsequently duly converted for the full seven points.

This was 'all' that was required to break the Azzurri's spirits. The next penalty conceded by the home side was converted for three points, which put England ahead for the first time and for good.

Smart defensive play by the boys in blue prevented another English try at the 62-minute mark. But Parisse then played the unlikely sinner when he fumbled the ball while being hardly touched following another one his textbook quick retrievals. Italy collapsed the ensuing scrum and England converted the easy penalty to put final numbers on the board.

The crowd kept on pushing; il Capitano kept on not holding anything back despite being visibly injured and his men rallied around him. Parisse's play was indeed worth of man of the match honours precisely because of that. England played rugby through trying to put together an effective, but boring, collective game. But, Italy just lacks three or four pieces to build enough depth in order to constantly defeat the more traditional opponents. The mistakes were fewer than last week, but they have cost them dearly. If it wasn't for Burton's and Botes' below-par kicking, they could have won this one nonetheless. On a lighter note, I, for one, am not notorious for pitying Frenchmen, but the camera close-ups on Monsieur Brunel from the Hodgson try were heart breaking.

It is unfortunate that it seems Italy is once again fighting against holding on to the wooden spoon. But it does look like they won't be perennial holders in the future -baby steps the next couple of seasons should put them well ahead of that.

Daniel Bergamasco - @doubles666