World Cup number eight Nick Easter is set to give injury-ravaged England a boost by returning for Sunday's RBS 6 Nations clash against Italy in Rome.

The Harlequins forward has not played since December 29 because of a knee problem.

But despite Easter missing his club's last four Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup games, England head coach Brian Ashton is likely to name him later today for the Stadio Flaminio clash.

Easter's anticipated comeback means a probable place on the bench for Gloucester prospect Luke Narraway, who made his England debut in Saturday's 26-19 Twickenham loss to Wales.

There will be changes throughout the side as Ashton looks for his players to pick themselves up off the canvas.

Wing David Strettle (foot), centre Mike Tindall (bruised liver), flanker Lewis Moody (Achilles) and Moody's replacement against Wales - Wasps openside Tom Rees (knee ligament) - are all sidelined.

At this stage, only Moody has a realistic chance of featuring again in this season's tournament.

Rugby league recruit Lesley Vainikolo is expected to replace Strettle, with either Jamie Noon or Newcastle colleague Mathew Tait taking over from Tindall.

In the back-row, there could be a first Six Nations start for Bath flanker Michael Lipman, but it appears fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and full-back Iain Balshaw - both heavily criticised for their displays against Wales - will remain.

Wilkinson has been defended by Newcastle colleague Toby Flood, England's inside centre and try-scorer in the Wales defeat.

Flood said: "Jonny is a fantastic athlete. If you set the bar as high as he has done, if you are not 80% or 90% there, then you put yourself in that firing line from the press.

"Collectively, in the squad, there is no problem.

"If you look at someone like Tiger Woods, if he doesn't go out and win a tournament then he is a failure.

"He finished second once this year and people are knocking him for a failed tournament.

"If you set the bar high then you put an onus on yourself to reach that. By no means, in my opinion, did Jonny not do that on the weekend.

"He will be hugely disappointed with the result because he played in an England team and lost, but he is a strong enough character to realise what needs to be done this weekend."

Whatever side Ashton announces, England cannot afford any repeat of Saturday's second-half switch-off as they target a fifth successive Six Nations triumph in Rome.

And lock Simon Shaw has refuted suggestions that poor leadership may have been a major contributory factor to England blowing a 19-6 lead and conceding 20 unanswered points in 15 minutes against Wales.

Shaw said: "It was all down to a lot of errors upon errors compounding our problems.

"I don't think it was to do with a leadership issue or a loss of control. It was simply one error then made worse by another error.

"We produced a first half of fantastic rugby, and perhaps should have been more points up. We were disappointed at half-time, while Wales were buoyed by the fact we hadn't scored more.

"When you have got a side under the cosh, you have to put the nails in the coffin. Our mistakes were perhaps a result of our enthusiasm to put them away."

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