England head coach Eddie Jones has hit out at Italy's tactics and claimed that he will consider retiring from the sport if it is a sign of things to come.
The Red Rose trailed 10-5 at the break but were able to recover in the second half to win 36-15, securing a bonus-point victory in the process to climb to the top of the Six Nations standings.
Jones was unhappy with Italy's decision to not commit to the ruck, allowing them to step into the England line without drifting offside, and says that he will consider his position in the game if that is how teams plan to stop his side from winning.
"If that's rugby then I'm going to retire, because that's not rugby," he told reporters. "Once you lose the ruck, you don't have a game anymore.
"There was no rugby, so I'm not going to answer any questions about rugby. Quote me on that, I don't think it's smart rugby."
In response, Italy boss Conor O'Shea said: "Everything we did was completely legal. I was incredibly proud of what the players put out there."
England, who have now won 17 games in a row, face Scotland at Twickenham in their next outing on March 11.
Daniel Lewis
