Jamie George strives for England improvement but relishes ‘vitally important’ Six Nations victory over Wales

Jamie George would have liked his England side to deliver a better performance in their Six Nations victory over Wales but was delighted with the “vitally important” result.

England followed up their opening win against Italy to beat Wales 16-14 in a comeback victory Twickenham on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

Steve Borthwick’s side sit at the summit of the Six Nations table with eight points, with only Ireland and Italy to play each other to wrap up the second round of matches.

Ahead of the tournament, England set out to make Twickenham a fortress and become exciting to watch again, but George recognised that the result was the most important as George Ford’s 71st-minute penalty sealed a narrow victory.

“The result was massively important,” the England captain said. “I loved every second of it from the walk into the stadium to the final whistle.

"The fans look like they had a really good day out and that is what we ultimately wanted to do.

“Did we want to put a better performance on the field? Of course. But I loved every second and I really felt everyone in the stands did to.

“We felt a huge amount of pride coming from the stands and that is what we love. This is just the first step but getting back to winning ways at Twickenham was vitally important.”

Although George strived for an improved display, the hooker felt England dominated the game despite the tight scoreline.

He credited the previous defence coach Kevin Sinfield for “laying the foundations” to their current success.

“I thought we were physically in control of the game,” he said. “Wales' attack was good but I felt comfortable in our ability to keep going and put them under pressure.

“I think Felix [Jones] would love us to defend 100 phases at a time. We would like to avoid that but we love it.

“Kev Sinfield did a brilliant job in laying the foundations and Felix has come in with a crazy amount of energy. It's infectious.

“The boys have bought into what he is doing and we have a greater understanding of what he wants from us.”

England travel to Murrayfield to play Scotland next before returning to Twickenham for a match with Ireland.

“We are pretty clear on who we want England to be moving forward,” George added. “The conversations we have with the coaches and players is inclusive.

“We want an environment people love but it's not just the laughing and joking, it's the process of getting better. It's important for us to keep building on that.

“To come out on the positive end of that result, with the fight and the character we showed, is a huge step for us."

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