Eddie Jones says he already has a clear idea of his starting line-up for England’s first home match of the Six Nations, against Ireland at Twickenham in 11 days’ time. He may well be in a minority of one. As far as the rest of the red-rose operation is concerned, there are unsolved selection riddles in all three rows of the pack, and another one at scrum-half, where Ben Youngs and Danny Care are engaged in a fight to the finish.

Or are they? According to Care, who was the creative spirit behind one of the more eye-catching of the five tries England put past Italy in Rome on Sunday, the line separating the infantry in the starting XV from the cavalry on the bench is more blurred than ever before. If it is still the case that every player wants to be in the run-on team, it is also becoming obvious that other considerations are driving Jones.

The new head coach argued in the immediate aftermath of events in Rome that the 23-man theory for modern international rugby is far more relevant than the 15-man approach, which he considers to be Old Testament in the extreme. He wants to tailor his selection to the specific problem at hand – especially regarding ways of hurting opponents in the last quarter of a game.

Care started against Scotland in the opening match; in Rome, the Harlequin was on the bench, understudying his great rival from Leicester.

“Eddie told me after the match in Edinburgh that he thought I’d played really well, so it’s obvious that I’d have liked to have kept my place,” Care said after contributing strongly to the second-half surge that yielded 29 unanswered points and gave England a 40-9 victory over the Azzurri. “But he wanted to change it up a little, to see Ben play and give me a run later with a view to killing off the Italians. I completely respected that decision.

“Of course, the starting shirt is the one the players want – you want to be out there having first crack at things. But as you’ve seen in this latest game, it’s very much a squad effort. Does that require a change of mindset from the players? Maybe it does. Maybe we have to come to terms with the fact that there isn’t a first choice any more. If that’s the way Eddie does it, that’s how it will be.”

When Jones makes a careful study of the evidence from Rome, he will surely recognise the impact made by another bench player, Joe Launchbury. The Wasps lock was anonymous to the point of invisibility against Scotland, but as he was suffering from an energy-sapping sickness bug, he could be forgiven. Restored to full health at the weekend, he performed well enough to move ahead of Courtney Lawes in the boilerhouse pecking order.

However, the squabble between the loose-head props, Mako Vunipola and Joe Marler, shows no sign of being resolved – Vunipola’s unusually broad range of footballing skills were in evidence from the start, while Marler’s heavy scrummaging after the break was worth its weight in euros – and the scrum-half dispute could rumble on long-term.

If Youngs picked up the “man of the match” gong, presumably on the strength of a sharp broken-field scamper in the first half and some educated work with the boot after the break, Care did most to increase the tempo to a level outside the Italians’ reach.

Italy vs England player ratings Show all 30 1 /30 Italy vs England player ratings Italy vs England player ratings <b> Italy: <b/> Luke McLean: 7 out of 10 The fullback had a lot of work this afternoon, but was generally effective defensively and clever with his kicking. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Leonardo Sarto: 5 out of 10 The winger threw the pass that led to Joseph’s first try and was largely anonymous, despite trying to get involved. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Michele Campagnaro: 7 out of 10 Was easily Italy’s most dangerous back and was never beaten on the outside by Jonathan Joseph. The centre just does the basics so well. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Gonzalo Garcia: 6 out of 10 So unlucky to be forced off injured but showed in the time he was on showed solidity in defence and was effective at carrying the ball to the line. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Mattia Bellini: 5 out of 10 Like Sarto, Bellini struggled to get into the game but did show a effective turn of pace on a couple of occasions. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Carlo Canna: 7 out of 10 Another impressive performance from the young flyhalf, orchestrating his backline brilliantly and kicking – for the most part – with intent and danger. Certainly Italy’s best option at flyhalf. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Edoardo Gori: 6 out of 10 The Italian scrum half generally kicks very well, but sometimes is guilty of choosing the wrong pass when there are easier options available. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Andrea Lovotti: 5 out of 10 Lovotti struggled when scrimmaging against Dan Cole but put a lot of effort into defending the breakdown. Italy vs England player ratings Omel Gega: 6 out of 10 The hooker made the majority of his throws, but like Lovotti struggled to make an impact in the loose – only carrying the ball three times. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Lorenzo Cittadini: 5 out of 10 Didn’t concede any penalties at scrum time but like his front row colleagues wasn’t involved in open play nearly enough. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings George Biagi: 7 out of 10 Biagi can certainly hold his head high after today’s result. The second row made 14 tackles and carried the ball nine times, he seemed to be all over the pitch and was unlucky to be on the losing side. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Marco Fuser: 5 out of 10 Fuser was unfortunate to be forced from play early on in the game and never had the chance to stamp his mark on the match. Italy vs England player ratings Francesco Minto: 6 out of 10 Like Biagi, Minto made his presence felt with a courageous performance. The flanker made 10 carries and was putting Ben Youngs under a lot of pressure throughout the first half. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Alessandro Zanni: 5 out of 10 A quiet afternoon for Zanni. The flanker failed to make an impact for the most part, but got through a lot of work at the breakdown. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Sergio Parisse: 8 out of 10 Parisse never seems to have a bad game when playing for his country. He carried the ball on 15 different occasions and is a constant threat whether defending or attacking. Without a doubt we are watching Italy’s greatest ever rugby player in action every time he steps on the field. Italy vs England player ratings <b> England: <b/> Mike Brown: 6 out of 10 England’s fullback was rarely tested but as always was a safe pair of hands at the back and ran the ball back effectively the few times he was granted the opportunity. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Anthony Watson: 5 out of 10 Both of England’s wingers failed to make much of a contribution going forward, but once again Watson was safe under the high ball and made a couple of nice little breaks. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Jonathan Joseph: 9 out of 10 England’s match winner. The centre got himself a hat-trick of tries and was constantly a danger with the ball in his hands showing pace, power and great footwork. The speedster has made the 13 shirt his own despite competition from Elliot Daly and the returning Manu Tuilagi. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Owen Farrell: 7 out of 10 Having a second playmaker in international rugby has almost become a necessity and Farrell was showing why with his performance. He set up Ford’s try with a great step and pass, kicked his goals and was solid in defence throughout. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Jack Nowell: 5 out of 10 Was safe in defence as always, but didn’t make any telling contributions when going forward. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings George Ford: 7 out of 10 Misplaced a few kicks and surprisingly struggled with his passing game early on. Ford's excellent up and under created the momentum for his try, but he will still feel that he could have offered more. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Ben Youngs: 8 out of 10 Arguably England’s best player in the first half, making good breaks around the breakdown and putting in some clever kicks behind the defence. Danny Care also impressed after coming on and their battle for the scrum half jersey goes on. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Mako Vunipola: 6 out of 10 The prop is excellent in the loose but England’s scrum was far more powerful after the introduction of Joe Marler. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Dylan Hartley: 6 out of 10 England’s lineout was in shambles throughout the first half. Hartley can’t be blamed entirely as he made the majority of his throws, but regardless work needs to be done ahead of Ireland’s visit to Twickenham. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Dan Cole: 7 out of 10 Lasted the longest of the front three that started the game and showed again that he is one of England’s most consistent performers. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Courtney Lawes: 6 out of 10 Put a lot of work into the game, but struggled to make an impact. A ferocious presence at the breakdown but will hope for more action in his next outing. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Kruis was simply outstanding in Rome. He played a huge role in two of Joseph’s tries and was constantly harassing any Italian at the breakdown. Can be deemed partly responsible for England’s troubles at the lineout, but an incredible performance from the second row. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Chris Robshaw: 6 out of 10 England’s former captain gets through so much work every time he plays and while we may not notice it, his team-mates and coaches certainly will. Always around the breakdown and looks better playing at six rather than seven. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings James Haskell: 6 out of 10 Haskell took the game to Italy early on with a number of huge hits. The flanker brings some real physicality to England’s back row but was lucky not to see yellow for a tackle in the air early in the second half. 2016 Getty Images Italy vs England player ratings Billy Vunipola: 7 out of 10 Another impressive performance from England’s no. 8. The big man has the incredible ability to make yards even if the scrum or maul is moving backwards, making such a difference when the pressure is on. 2016 Getty Images

Ireland will not have so many decisions to make when they head for Twickenham on Saturday week. The flanker Sean O’Brien will miss the game with a hamstring injury and the wing Dave Kearney is a doubt with a shoulder problem, while the lock Mike McCarthy was concussed during Saturday’s defeat in Paris.

Worcester, sucked into the Premiership relegation scrap after a run of defeats, confirmed that the Springbok scrum-half and part-time wing Francois Hougaard will aid them in their survival effort by moving to Sixways with immediate effect. Hougaard is taking a break from international seven-a-side duty to play for the West Midlands club until the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the Walkinshaw family’s ownership of Gloucester has reached its conclusion after almost 20 years of investment at Kingsholm. The late Tom Walkinshaw, best known for his motor sport interests, bought the club in 1997 and opened up a route into the professional era. Following his death in 2010, his son Ryan took over the business management, but Walkinshaw Jnr has been looking to sell for some considerable time.