“For various reasons, there have been lots of different partnerships”, said South African-born Barritt.
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“I felt we needed some energy”. Furthermore I was personally disappointed on how often Fiji were able to turn over the ball. That’s the same with every combination.
“He is very good at them and a seasoned professional at what he does so we can’t get into that kind of nitty gritty stuff”.
“Ultimately, it’s about making England successful”.
Fullback Mike Brown was man-of-the-match with two tries, earning the plaudits from his coach and captain.
Vunipola made a massive impact off the bench against the Fijians, and his performance could mean a start ahead of Ben Morgan against the Welsh, but he will be ready for whatever role Lancaster decides for him. “The support we get is fantastic and I’m sure that in this special year for rugby our fans can be that difference”.
“We select it on a week by week basis, assess the performance and decide what’s best to play Wales”.
“We knew it was going to be tough. We knew it would come down to the last five or 10 minutes because Fiji were hard to break down”.
“Some of it paid off and some didn’t but we will move on”.
A try by Billy Vunipola in the last minute, which was awarded after a lengthy review by the TMO meant England secured a bonus point, which might prove essential in qualifying for the knockout stages.
“Ultimately there is always room for improvement”.
Wilkinson asked can you go back at half-time and will you review it at the end of the game and be able to change scores after.
Brown scored two of England’s four tries during a tricky encounter against a side who refused to accept their role as opening night stooges.
Fiji would not be denied though, and they immediately scored through Nadolo on the other wing as he towered over Anthony Watson to score, shortly before converting a penalty attempt. They’ve shown how much they have improved. They were physical and played their territory game really well.
Volavola made no mistake from 30 metres out in front and England’s lead was reduced to 18-11, setting up a potentially nervous final 15 minutes for the home side.
“That was pretty electric”, said Barritt.
Next up are Gatland’s Wales and the Kiwi, famed for trying to unsettle opponents with some carefully-selected words, had England playing down the importance of comments he made after the World Cup squads were announced.
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“It was something I think all of us will remember for a very long time”.
