Share

Lancaster relieved after win

London - England coach Stuart Lancaster admitted his relief after his team started their World Cup campaign with a 35-11 win over Fiji on Friday.

England 35-11 Fiji

The tournament hosts started well with two early tries to build a 15-0 lead but Fiji struck back to make the game a contest before England scored two late tries.

"It was a big occasion and there were a few nerves. We got a good lead but didn't put the nail in the coffin," Lancaster told the BBC.

"We had to work hard and that last try late in the game was a massive relief. I don't think we were ever going to be on the end of a hiding at 18-11 but it was nervy.

"We didn't get our game plan into action. We have to be more direct, we were a little bit lateral. Our bench made us much quicker."

Lancaster said he would have taken the result before kickoff.

"We definitely have some decisions to make, we have two days to dwell on that," he said.

"We'll watch the game again, meet on Sunday and narrow down our selection next week."

England captain Chris Robshaw was equally relieved.

"We always knew it was going to be tough. Credit to Fiji, they put us under a lot of pressure," he said.

"We knew what a good recent record Fiji had and they made us work very hard.

"We have been training hard for 12 weeks so to finally get off to a winning start is what it is all about."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1798 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1756 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1062 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 449 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 184 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
4% - 247 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE