By Jason Humphries
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, June 24 (Reuters) – England
failed to beat South Africa in their three June tests but the
tour will prove beneficial in the long term, coach Stuart
Lancaster said on Sunday.
England lost the first two tests of the series before
claiming a credible draw in the third, while the tourists also
managed two midweek wins against South Africa Barbarians teams.
Lancaster said the extended tour had proved invaluable as he
continues to build his team. He was only appointed as full time
coach in March after having been in charge during England’s Six
Nations campaign on an interim basis.
“It’s been a fantastic opportunity for us to take a wider
group of players and work with them and, for me, that has been
the real benefit of the tour,” Lancaster told reporters in Port
Elizabeth.
“I was able to get a real good understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses and the areas we need to work on going
forward.
“At this point we should, as a team, be getting to the point
where we are competitive and wining every game. That has to be
our mindset.
“We have now got a team of young players and experienced
players coming through together in an environment that they
enjoy, where the culture is strong. I think it augers well for
the future,” he added.
Rugby Football Union (RFU) Chief Executive Ian Ritchie
echoed Lancaster’s sentiments about the positives that could be
taken from the tour of South Africa but said ultimately the tour
would be judged on the results.
“We want to win every game and we look at what happened on
the tour on that basis. That said, I think we achieved a lot.
“To come here and get a draw, together with the overall
performance over the three tests, history proves how difficult
it is to come here and win. But in all three tests we were
competitive and we were committed,” said Ritchie.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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