- Martin Johnson and Steve Borthwick speak to RFU.com after Wales win
- Johnson hails ‘all-round team performance’ after 30-17 victory
England Team Manager Martin Johnson hailed the work ethic and attitude of his side after the three-try victory over Wales in the RBS 6 Nations opener at Twickenham.
Highlighting England’s patience, work rate and confidence, Johnson said: "It was a real battle out there and I think we showed a great deal of patience to score at the end of the first half, after enjoying a long spell of possession and territorial advantage. The next score just after half time was key in terms of giving us a healthy lead.
"It has to be an all-round team performance and there’s no doubt the boys worked very, very hard. We won some good turn-overs and picked our opportunities – our kicking game and our chase was pretty good as well, which certainly put Wales under pressure.
"Everyone’s hyped this game up for weeks as the biggest thing – and now the next game against Italy becomes the biggest thing. I’ve said all along that this is a group that’s coming together – they’re becoming increasingly confident in themselves, but need to keep demonstrating that by getting wins."
'Hard-fought win' pleases Borthwick
Captain Steve Borthwick, who excelled in the line out, said the win was a reward for everyone in the England set-up.
He said: "It’s obviously very pleasing to win – but it was very hard-fought. Credit to Wales for the way they played today and for the effort they put into the game – they’re a quality side. The victory’s a great reward, though, for all the England players and the management staff.
"I think Nike and the RFU have done a fantastic job with the [retro-style] shirts – I hope the fans liked it. It was a good day with plenty going on to celebrate Twickenham’s centenary, but we managed to focus on the task in hand for the full eighty minutes."
Looking ahead to Italy in Rome on Sunday, Borthwick said his side can show further improvement.
"There’s still plenty of room for improvement – we made errors, particularly midway through the second half," he added.
"There are several areas we can look at on the video, in order to improve for the trip to Italy."