Jamie George has hailed England for developing a new identity that can catapult their new era forward.
England edged out Wales 16-14 at Twickenham for their second straight win in the Six Nations.
Steve Borthwick’s men trailed 14-5 at half-time, having suffered quick-fire yellow cards for Ollie Chessum and Ethan Roots.
Resolute England rallied to post 11 unanswered points after the break however, to condemn Wales to their second loss in this year’s competition.
Freddie Steward’s masterful late high-ball take, followed immediately by George Ford’s stunning 50-22 kick, put England in the box seat in the closing stages.
Ford’s second penalty ultimately won the day, after tries for Ben Earl and Fraser Dingwall matched Wales’ penalty score and a fine finish from Alex Mann.
New captain George was left to reflect on another nail-biting win for England – but one that entirely flipped the mood from their last Twickenham appearance, their first-ever loss to Fiji last August.
“The result was massively important, of course we wanted to put a better performance on the field, but getting back to winning at Twickenham is vitally important,” said George.
“I loved every second of it, from the walk into the ground to the final whistle.
“I hope everyone in the stands loved every second of it too. We felt a lot of noise coming from the stands, and this is just the first step.
“There is belief, the foundations we have laid mean we have a bit of belief now.
“We believe in what we are doing, we believe in the England way, and want to continue what we are doing and keep growing.”
George referencing “the England way” represents a significant step forward for the Red Rose men.
When England lost to Fiji at Twickenham in August, no one would have been talking about the Red Rose way – because the Test team appeared lost.
While they are not quite found currently, they are certainly en route to a far more attractive destination.
England will head to Murrayfield on February 24 for a mouthwatering Calcutta Cup clash against Gregor Townsend’s extremely dangerous Scotland.
George insisted England can head north of the border with confidence rising.
“We talk a lot about what our identity is and we want England to be moving forward, and we are pretty clear on that.
“It is great the conversations we have with the management and it is inclusive with the players.
“We want an environment where people are enjoying things and where they can improve. We need to keep building on that.”
Borthwick also revealed his hopes that three injured players may yet be fit in time to contest selection to take on Scotland.
“Hopefully George Martin will be available for selection after his knee injury,” said Borthwick.
“Manu Tuilagi is not too far away, and we’re hopeful as well that Luke Cowan-Dickie will be ready to be considered for the next selection.”
