England boss Martin Johnson heaped praise on his players after recording a morale-boosting victory over Wales at Twickenham.
England boss hails 'tremendous' Care
England boss Martin Johnson heaped praise on his players after recording a morale-boosting victory over Wales in their RBS Six Nations opener at Twickenham.
Stade Francais lock James Haskell scored his first two tries in an England jersey as the hosts triumphed 30-17 at HQ, but they saw a 17-point advantage almost wiped out when Wales scored converted second-half tries through prop Adam Jones and centre James Hook.
Johnson though, finally breathed easily when Haskell claimed his second try, rounding off a 60-metre interception break that finished Wales off following an earlier touchdown by scrum-half Danny Care.
The win was the perfect tonic for Johnson, who had come under scathing criticism for England's winless displays against Australia and New Zealand in the autumn.
And while it might have been nowhere near the finished article, Johnson at least had cause for optimism.
Pressure
"I thought the patience we showed was good," he said.
"We had been there a little bit in the past year or so and not turned opportunities into points.
"We had a big focus not to start the second half flat. We wanted to raise the tempo, and I thought Danny Care did a tremendous job.
"The disappointing bit was losing our way in the middle period of the second half. They got a bit of pressure on our scrum.
"They scored two tries and we were under pressure, but ultimately we found a way to win and we took our try at the end very well. You have to find a way to win, and we did."
Johnson accepted that England have much to work on going into next weekend's clash against Italy, which is followed by a home match against reigning Six Nations champions Ireland 13 days later.
He added: "We've had some tough losses, and games turn on small things, but we know there are lots and lots to get better at.
"There is a lot of improvement in us, and no-one is getting carried away. The guys understand they did some things well and some other things not so well."
Massive
England scored 17 points when Wales lock Alun-Wyn Jones was in the sin-bin following a cynical trip, but Johnson was non-committal about its influence on the result.
"We scored the 17 points. They didn't give them to us," he said.
"We've all been there and done silly things that have an influence on the game. We turned the pressure into scores at a crucial time - we showed great patience and execution.
"But we got a bit narrow in defence at times, and there are lots of things in all aspects of the game we can improve on.
"I thought our discipline in the contact area was very good.
"The massive game now is the one right in front of you.
"Of course there is a bit of relief, but also the frustration we can do better than that. We will enjoy the win, but we get back in next week and we know we can get better."
