England forwards coach John Wells has hailed Tom Palmer a 'complete forward' after his performance against Wales.
England lock becoming a key part of Johnson's plans
England forwards coach John Wells has hailed Tom Palmer a 'complete forward' after his performance against Wales.
The 31-year-old lock has become a pivotal part of team manager Martin Johnson's set-up as he looks to build a squad full of attacking flair in the lead up to the World Cup.
England are now fourth in the world rankings and opened their RBS Six Nations account with a 26-19 success against Wales on Friday night.
They next face a difficult trip to Italy but Johnson's side will be looking to subdue the Italians with the more dynamic, all-court rugby they have been developing over the last 12 months - and Palmer is right at the heart of it.
"He is near enough the complete forward for the modern game," Wells said.
Mobility
"We are looking to develop an all-round game and not just put together a pack of forwards that is comfortable going through the middle.
"We want to put tempo on the ball and try to get it into the wider spaces. We need forwards of that mobility to play the game we want and Tom falls into that category.
"Courtney Lawes has also come through the ranks and both those guys bring something different in terms of their ball-carrying and ability in the wide channels.
"All that produces an extra threat to the opposition. We pose significant threats in all areas of the pitch that we can attack in a variety of ways."
A decade after making his international debut, Palmer has finally established himself as an influential figure in the England second row and central to their gameplan.
"Tom Palmer was a good player when he first came onto the scene (in 2001) but like all good players you can have significant holes in your game," Wells added.
"Over a period of time and through experiences he has built on what he can do well and worked hard on the things he was not so good at."
Battering
The Azzurri were pipped 13-11 by Ireland in Rome on Saturday after producing what Wells believes was one of their best performances in recent times.
"We have got to try to improve our ability to withstand the kind of battering we took at times against South Africa," Wells said. "Italy are an extremely dogmatic team, very difficult to break down.
"It is extremely difficult to get anything going because of the way they defend and they are a very difficult team to break down. They are a very good set-piece side.
"Some of these games are about winning ugly. If we beat Italy we will probably have to dog it out and find a way to get some points at times during the game."
