Darren Lockyer was quick to praise Australia's defensive efforts in their 52-4 win over England.
Coach Stuart warns the rest that rampant Kangaroos can still improve
Australia captain Darren Lockyer was quick to praise his side's defensive efforts after their nine-try demolition of England in Melbourne.
The reigning champions once again proved they are the team to beat in the World Cup with a 52-4 rout of one of their leading rivals for the trophy.
Greg Inglis and Billy Slater both bagged hat-tricks for the Kangaroos but it was their ability to keep their opponents out that impressed their skipper.
England grabbed only one try in a period of extended pressure on the Australian line - something Lockyer feels was the key to the final result.
Turning point
"It was tough there in the first half, there was a period when England were attacking our line and we held out," he told
Sky Sports. "That was the turning point in the game.
"At the end of the game the scoreline blew out a bit, but our guys need some credit for the way they held on there.
"It was a tough period but we came out of it and scored some points off the back of it. There's a lot of talent (in this side) but you do have to roll the sleeves up and do it tough first and we did that."
Lockyer was quick to play down talk that Australia already have the tournament in the bag, insisting that nothing would be won or lost until the final.
He also stated that England were likely to improve having suffered their heaviest ever World Cup loss at Telstra Stadium.
"We have had two good wins but at the end of the day the World Cup is decided in the final and we have to get there first," the Brisbane Bronco added.
"It's very pleasing (the win) but obviously the English are going to pick themselves up and try and improve over the next game or two."
Improvements
Australia coach Ricky Stuart backed up his skipper's comments after seeing a performance that he described as "nothing short of brilliant".
"You certainly don't predict those scorelines," he said. "I have complimented the players on their professionalism and the way they played for the full 80 minutes.
"There were some stages in the first half where we really had to hang in in defence but you saw some exceptional individual attacking flair.
"What you saw tonight was nothing short of brilliant, some of the best pieces of individual talent I've seen at this level of football.
"In saying that, we've got to make sure we go forward and keep on improving. We've got to have a relentless attitude and go for the throat.
"We'll keep our feet firmly on the ground and look for parts of our game to improve."
