Captain Tom Wood hails England's 'important' victory over France

Praise: Wood was delighted with his teammates' collective display
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
Sam Long18 August 2015

England captain Tom Woods has hailed his side's 'important' 19-14 victory over France at Twickenham in their opening World Cup warm-up game on Saturday night.

Stuart Lancaster fielded a somewhat experimental team and the hosts' tries were provided by Anthony Watson, who went over twice, and Jonny May.

Sam Burgess and Henry Slade seized their respective opportunities and played themselves into contention for the upcoming tournament as England's backs sparkled.

The forwards provided a grittier performance and Wood was proud of his teammates' efforts in front of a home crowd.

Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

"It was important to win in front of our home fans. France are renowned for their tough play and have a heavy pack.

"We dug in and gave as good as we got. When you’re doing hard work as forwards and you see your wings running in like that it's exactly what you need," he insisted.

Meanwhile, Watson's two tries were breathtaking, but the winger attempted to play down his achievement and insisted that he relied on instinct.

"I didn't really think about it. I just carried the ball. If he gives you the outside, as a winger that's something you want to take on. I watch a lot of players like Jason Robinson and try to emulate that.

England take on France in Paris next Saturday in their second World Cup warm-up match. Both sides are expected to feature a host of changes.

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