James Haskell believes England’s improved teamwork was the difference in their 30-17 victory over Wales.
The Stade Francais flanker, who scored two tries in the game, said there was "no chance" England were going to lose their opening game of the Six Nations at Twickenham because of the team’s determination to win.
"Before we may have been passive, this time we were on the front foot," Haskell said after the game.
"There were no guys on their own, we were a team. We stuck together and we got the result we wanted."
England faced a fierce onslaught from the Welsh in the second half, closing a 17-point deficit to just three. Haskell though eventually secured the win for England with a break-away score in the final fives minutes, adding to his earlier try in the first half.
Praising the way in which England refused to panic in the face of the Welsh comeback, Haskell said: "It’s the team that keeps a cool head is the team that wins and we got the win."
Admitting scoring two tries in a single game was something of a rarity for him, the flanker also said he was expecting to come in for some friendly abuse from his teammates over his diving celebration on the second score.
England will face Italy in Rome in their next Six Nations game.
Tue, Feb 9, 2010
General Sport, Rugby Union