England vs. Italy: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Six Nations Round 2

England once again left their best rugby until the second half in claiming a 47-17 trouncing of Italy on Saturday, shooting Stuart Lancaster's side to the summit of the Six Nations standings.

The Twickenham hosts went in at the break with a 15-5 lead but really turned up the intensity after the break, as Jonathan Joseph brought his try tally in the tournament up to three in two games. England Rugby confirmed the result:

Joseph's two-try display was merely the icing on the cake for England, with Billy Vunipola and Ben Youngs also crossing the whitewash, along with substitutes Nick Easter and Danny Cipriani.

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Despite the massive gulf in full-time score, however, England weren't always in such a controlling position and were actually left stunned thanks to Sergio Parisse's try in the fourth minute after a mistake-ridden opening exchange in London.

Neither hooker could hit the target with their opening line-out attempts and Parisse ultimately capitalised upon a misjudged Dylan Hartley dart by crashing over on the left wing. Mick Cleary of The Telegraph saw it as a useful boost for England, however:

England's poor start was made all the worse when Mike Brown was knocked unconscious challenging for a ball in the air and had to be stretchered off the field.

However, Twickenham erupted as the concussed full-back came back onto the bench to watch the remainder of the match, seemingly avoiding any serious injury:

And it would perhaps prove to be just that as Vunipola got the home team back into the tie by bundling over in the opposite corner, followed swiftly by Josephs first try of the afternoon.

George Ford could only convert the latter of those scores, but did his part to amass a 10-point half-time lead. However, ex-England centre Will Carling was eager to remind that patience is what was needed above all else:

Given the need for a big score, England could have rushed matters and risked falling into simple lapses, but an encapsulating performance from both forwards and backs led to a smooth and steady trampling of the Azzurri.

Eventually, Jacques Brunel's Italy simply gave way to the immense pressure of Stuart Lancaster's bench, where the deep resources under his command proved too awesome to cope with.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

The Italians were evidently lacking in stamina as Easter and Cipriani came off the bench to grab their scores, but it was Joseph who stole the headlines with a man-of-the-match display.

Carling and Paul Williams of Rugby World were each keen to praise the emerging centre, who stormed through Italian lines to claim his second before the full-time whistle:

A 30-point win ensures England soar to the top of the table for now, and it's difficult to envision Ireland beating France by a big enough margin to reclaim their spot.

Regardless of what happens in Dublin, however, Lancaster will merely be content with taking his team's record to two wins from two at this year's Six Nations, developing more momentum as the team to watch at present.