After scoring his first Test try while making his 50th appearance in an England shirt Courtney Lawes said that while it was great to get the win on his landmark England are trying to push on as they face Fiji this afternoon.
“I don’t think we were happy with how we played against South Africa,” Lawes told Russell Hargreaves of the English Rugby Podacst.
“Obviously it was great to get the win but we’re always looking to get better and it wasn’t the best performance from us so we’re just looking to right that wrong.
“We know what we need to do tactically this week and we’re just looking to execute that to the best of our ability.”
Speaking of his first ever try for England, Lawes said that the experience was great but that it was an important game-changing score for England and would have been so whoever had scored.
“It was a pretty lucky try to be fair but it was good get a try in an England shirt. The main thing for me was getting the lineout right and I’m glad that went to plan as well.
“Obviously everyone’s liable to chase the kick and I was lucky enough to jump on the ball as it went over the tryline but it did turn the tide of the game a little bit.”
Now back on form at both club and country, Lawes said that he’s always working hard to perform for both teams and that he’s just enjoying playing rugby.
“It’s a new season and different players will be on form and get different opportunities.
“I’m just looking to keep playing rugby, keep playing well, get my hands on the ball, keep making my hits and give myself the best shot to get in this team no matter who’s fit or who’s injured.”
Looking forward to this afternoon’s game, the lock said that England have prepared well for the fixture and that if they play how they have planned then a win is within reach.
“We’re fairly sure we know what style of rugby they’re going to play and it’s about being able to deal with that. We’ll try to turn that into a weakness for them.
“We know they love playing rugby, they love throwing the ball around and they score some unbelievable tries.
“They’ve got the best Sevens team in the world and that influences their game a lot so we’ve been preparing for that all week.
“We’re going to go out there with a plan and if we stick to it we’re going to be fine.”
Finally, thinking about Eddie Jones’ selection, Lawes said that while his fellow clubmen Tom Wood and Teimana Harrison are being pitted against each other for the England shirt, he’s sure that both players will perform if given the chance.
“They’ve both been unbelievable players so far this year.
“Woody was playing great last season, Teimana was obviously on fire last season too and they’ve come into this season on great form so they’ve both earned their spot and they’ll do the best for their team and that’s the most important thing.”
