Jamie George, the captain of England, stated that his team is poised for a thrilling future, despite a close 33-31 loss to France in their last Six Nations game. England was defeated by a lengthy Thomas Ramos penalty, similar to the Handrè Pollard kick that secured South Africa’s win in the World Cup semi-final in Paris last fall.

George, who has played in 90 games, believes that his team has the potential to do extraordinary things. His team, led by Steve Borthwick, had previously recovered from a 16-3 deficit to take the lead 24-16 in the first half of their game. George feels that the last two weekends have shown the capabilities of his team. He believes that they are in an exciting position to achieve great things with the English team.

I believe we have made significant progress. In our earlier discussions, we aimed to rebuild a connection with our fans and bring joy to their faces, and I believe we have achieved that. While we are disappointed that we did not win the tournament, we entered with confidence that we could. We have proven that we have the skills to do so. Overall, I am thrilled for what the future holds in English rugby.

I believe we’re making progress and moving in a positive direction. Our team’s offense and ability to score tries has been a hot topic, but not many teams can match our performance in France’s set piece. Our set piece is performing well, our offense is developing well, and our defense is coming together smoothly. Although we didn’t win tonight’s match, we need to analyze and improve for future games. Overall, we have a lot to be pleased about with our team’s progress.

Unfortunately, the climax of the exciting game stirred up unpleasant recollections of England’s defeat against the Springboks with a score of 16-15 in October. George acknowledges and gives credit to France for their perseverance in tying the game with a penalty kick by Ramos in the final moments. The similarity to Pollard’s winning penalty from a few months ago was difficult to swallow, but there are still many notable accomplishments for England to be proud of in recent weeks. The team is confident that they are on an upward trajectory and heading in the right direction.

Borthwick commended his team’s determination and resilience, stating, “I am incredibly impressed with our players’ performance tonight and I am disappointed that we were not able to achieve our desired outcome. Despite this, I cannot praise their tenacity and passion enough. These players never give up, they simply ran out of time. While we are all disappointed with the loss, we have shown that we can hold our own against top teams once again. Our goal is not only to compete, but to win, and we have taken steps towards achieving that.”

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France’s captain, Grégory Aldritt,believed the result would benefit France’s confidence after a disappointing start to their Six Nations campaign. “We are really happy,” he said. “England played a great game but to lose tonight would have been tough for us.

“We are putting in a lot of effort, our team is filled with determined individuals and our goal is to reclaim the number one spot in the rankings. Despite the fantastic atmospheres in Marseille and Lille, we were unable to secure a win for our supporters. We are delighted to be able to do so here.”

Source: theguardian.com