Playing well mattered more than winning, says Lancaster
ENGLAND rugby coach Stuart Lancaster insists the encouraging nature of his side’s performance in Saturday’s Six Nations opener in France more than made up for a cruel late 26-24 defeat.
Replacement Gael Fickou’s last-gasp try broke English hearts after the visitors had recovered from two Yoann Huget scores to lead 24-19, thanks to tries from full-back Mike Brown and debutant Luther Burrell.
“Overall the positives of the performance will outweigh the result, but we recognise we need to win big games,” he said. “Five of our pack made their first start in France. They were the youngest pack in the championship and they did extremely well.”
Defeat is an immediate blow to Lancaster’s hopes of improving on consecutive runners-up spots in the last two Six Nations as he prepares for this week’s clash at home to Scotland. Ireland top the table after the first round of games, following a 28-6 win away to Scotland yesterday, spurred by tries from Andrew Trimble, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney. Wales, who beat Italy 23-15 on Saturday, are second.