‘we Let People Down’: Dewi Lake Apologises To Wales Fans After England Thrashing

The Wales captain, Dewi Lake, has apologised to Welsh supporters for “letting them down” aft his team’s comprehensive 48-7 conclusion to England. The visitors were 2nd champion successful each departments and person now mislaid 22 of their past 24 Test matches pinch a buoyant France heading for Cardiff adjacent Sunday successful ominous form.

Lake did not mince his words aft his team’s latest dense nonaccomplishment which saw them concede 7 tries and person 4 yellowish cards. “We fto ourselves down, we fto group down. We said each week astir what we were going to nutrient and we didn’t do it. There is nary different measurement to opportunity it – we’re massively disappointed what we put connected nan section today.

“Every sound matters to america astatine nan minute, each instrumentality successful a spot that tin get down us. We said we would get nan fans connected their feet and we didn’t today. We put ourselves nether pressure, nan punishment count and nan yellowish cards are down to us. We will beryllium amended adjacent week. This group will conflict for each different each day, location is ne'er a mobility of effort. [But] we weren’t meticulous capable erstwhile we had opportunities. You can’t do that against 1 of nan shape teams successful world rugby.”

The Wales caput coach, Steve Tandy, was likewise dismayed. “We are bitterly disappointed. We were inaccurate and couldn’t get immoderate momentum. Playing England pinch 15 men is reliable enough. Playing pinch 13 men for almost 20 minutes is hard. We are not a bully capable squad to person these inaccuracies. Even though we are 11th successful nan world and we came up against nan 3rd squad successful nan world we expect much of ourselves.”

England’s Steve Borthwick, successful contrast, was happy capable pinch galore aspects of his side’s capacity arsenic they extended their winning tally to 12 successful a row. “I thought defensively we were excellent, I thought our kicking crippled was excellent,” said Borthwick. “What was pleasing is that we created tons of opportunities. But successful nan 2nd half we didn’t person those opportunities successful nan measurement we’d person liked.”

Borthwick and besides paid tribute to Henry Arundell, whose hat-trick of first-half tries extended his tally for England to 11 successful 12 Tests. “We each cognize Henry is simply a subordinate who has an unthinkable expertise moving pinch nan shot and his expertise to find a measurement to nan effort statement is excellent. What I person been really impressed is complete nan past number of months is his cognition to spell and amended different aspects of his game. He has worked exceptionally difficult and has travel backmost to nan Six Nations an moreover amended player.”

Jamie George, who led retired nan squad pinch regular skipper Maro Itoje starting connected nan bench, besides suggested England were now successful a useful position heading into adjacent Saturday’s Calcutta Cup crippled astatine Murrayfield. “Regardless of who we were playing adjacent week it’s a superb platform. We wanted to commencement pinch a bang and I thought we did that today.”

George Ford, nan man of nan match, besides believes location is much to travel from England and praised nan first half efforts of his pack. “The commencement of a Test lucifer is ever massive. I thought nan boys did that good … we were capable to predominate territory because of nan boys up front. We are conscionable trying to put bits of our crippled together, nan much attacking opportunities we create nan much we should take.”