Aussie coach Tim Sheens was in the crowd and would have been rubbing his hands at the two soft tries England conceded.

England’s NRL superstar Sam Burgess was partly to blame for both tries and admits the team needs to improve quickly.

He said: “We’ve got to knuckle down and ignore what is being said about us and hopefully turn things around next Saturday.

“That is not the standard we have set ourselves, so we have got to use it as a kick up the backside. I’d rather it happen this week than next week.”

If anyone was looking for excuses, they could point to the fact that play was disjointed due to using seven subs on unlimited rotation. Two key players were also out, suspended Bennie Westwood and Sean O’Loughlin, who was rested ahead of the Cardiff showdown.

Full-back Sam Tomkins was one of the few to escape criticism, with props Lee Mossop and Chris Hill also showing up well.

But the expected worry over the half-backs was clear, with Rangi Chase and Sinfield yet again failing to impress as a partnership.

The pack should be strong enough to cope with anybody over the next few weeks, once they get this horror show out of their system. But there is also huge concern over the strike capability of England’s centres, with none of the four candidates yet to prove a front runner.

Italy led from the eighth minute until late in the first half with tries from St Helens prop Anthony Laffranchi and Parramatta Eels hooker Dean Parata.

England sneaked ahead 14-12 at the break, in a torrential thunderstorm, with a Carl Ablett try and two from Tomkins.

But the expected dominance never happened and Italy deservedly won with a late Ray Nasso penalty and a Josh Mantellato drop goal.