Six Nations 2024: England's Jamie George, Steve Borthwick want new 'intensity' for tournament opener v Italy

New England captain Jamie George wants England to play with an “intensity we haven’t played at before” when they begin their Six Nations campaign against Italy.

George has taken over from Owen Farrell as skipper after the fly-half's impending move to Racing 92 in the summer of 2024, and his decision to make himself unavailable for England national duty for mental health reasons.

England start their Six Nations campaign this Saturday afternoon in Rome, and it will be a chance to win their opening game to start their tournament brightly.

Anything other than a win would be an upset given the teams’ relative standing in the sport, but it is the manner of victory that England will need to work on.

"We want to play at an intensity we haven't played at before," George told BBC Sport.

"There are specific things we are looking to go after in attack, defence and kicking game, but we want to play at an intensity we haven't played at before.

"We want to put teams under pressure both sides of the ball. There was a lot of talk about the style of play we had in the World Cup and [attack coach] Richard Wigglesworth has been unbelievable in terms of putting things in place for our attack.

"The way we have taken it on and are trying to express ourselves, I know we will be able to put that on the field on Saturday.

"We genuinely want a connection with the fans and we will have a white wall in Rome who we can inspire and make happy and get off their seats.

"That comes with a certain type of performance. I'm not saying we will throw the ball around from here, there and everywhere but you will see a lot of fight and character, and a team that are trying to push the opposition."

England head coach Steve Borthwick is also looking for changes from the side, who are moving on from some previous stalwarts, including Farrell.

"This is a group of players with a mix of experience and those that are new to Test rugby," he said.

"I never thought I'd be naming five new caps in a 23-player squad and we really want to attack this game. We want to evolve and add a variety to our game, and I want the players to play with an intensity and a fight on the pitch."

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