Jonny Wilkinson admitted he was glad to be back in an England shirt, but bitterly disappointed to have lost against Australia.
Wilkinson glad to be back but disappointed with defeat
Jonny Wilkinson admitted he was glad to be back playing in an England shirt, but was still bitterly disappointed to have lost against Australia at Twickenham.
Wilkinson was playing his first Test since March last year and kicked two penalties and a drop-goal to account for all of England's points in their 18-9 defeat.
England had led 9-5 at half time but Australia looked the more dangerous side throughout and Wilkinson admitted the hosts spent most of the time on the back foot.
"We spent a lot of the game defending against a lot of momentum," Wilkinson told
Sky Sports after the game.
"When you give a very good side that kind of ball in that area of the field, to do what we did defensively was great.
"The great thing is this is a fantastic squad in attitude and energy and where we are prepared to take this. It's our first turn, and we're going to use it to bring us tighter."
Defence
Wilkinson showed no signs of his long injury problems as he was at his ferocious best in defence, and he was happy to be back in the England fold.
"Coming back here with the support and atmosphere, it's amazing; it's a fantastic feeling," he added. "That's why it doesn't feel like you've been away.
"You prepare for it as best you can and give it absolutely everything. It's great to be back and in front of a crowd like that - and we want more of that."
Lewis Moody felt Australia's recent matches had given them the edge.
"We battled hard all game - Australia were slicker than we were," said Moody. "We defended a lot of the second half, and the tries we conceded were quite soft in the end.
"But they were more clinical than us on the day. The ball they had, they used better. We never gave up, and it was frustrating to lose at the end when it was close with 20 minutes to go. We've got to build on it from here."
England team manager Martin Johnson added: "Overall, they deserved to win. But there were chances for us to do more.
"In the second half, they dominated territory to such an extent that they're going to score points. But that team is playing its first time together - Australia have come straight out of the Tri-Nations and a Test match."
Aussie delight
Matt Giteau insists Australia never felt comfortable during their 18-9 victory over England at Twickenham.
Facing that half time deficit the Aussies say they always believed they would get on top if they kept up the manner of their performance.
"We felt we were doing enough but giving away too many penalties," said Giteau. "For us at half time we talked about how it's all about the second half now.
"We just needed to secure the ball and we felt our opportunities would come. It didn't feel comfortable at any stage, it's a different England side looking to attack and they opened us up a few times.
Try-scorer Genia Will Genia added: "The boys told me about playing at Twickenham and coming off a winner is an amazing feeling.
"We just wanted to work right through the game and we'd have them at the back end."
