In a bristling response to a surprising tactic by Italy on Sunday, England coach Eddie Jones encouraged Six Nations fans to ask for a refund following his team's 36-15 win at Twickenham.

Before pulling away late, the Grand Slam hopefuls were frequently left bewildered by the Italians' refusal to commit players to the breakdown and faced a stunning 10-5 deficit at halftime. With no ruck being formed, the heavy underdog Azzurri were able to exploit the absence of an offsides line and swarm England's backfield.

Jones said in his post-match press conference that Italy's strategy "wasn't rugby" and urged World Rugby to close the loophole that Italy used to such success.

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"The whole game became a joke," Jones said. "I'm sure (World Rugby chairman) Bill Beaumont watched that game and will take action."

England players were so puzzled by Italy's ability to cut off their passing lanes that they asked for a rules clarification from French referee Romain Poite, who answered, "I am a referee, not a coach."

In the second half, England surged ahead with five tries and secured a bonus point atop the standings. However, a 17th straight win wasn't enough to assuage the hosts' frustration from the previous 80 minutes.

Meanwhile, Italy coach Conor O'Shea sternly defended his team's legal play following the match. Italy has just one Six Nations win in the past three years and was outscored 96-17 in two previous matches entering Sunday.

"I'm sick and tired of people having a pop and having a go," O'Shea said. "We weren't just going to fill a pitch and be here like the old gladiators, with the crowd wanting them to score 100. I'm gutted at the scoreline at the end of the game."