England head coach Stuart Lancaster has declared himself pleased with the way Sam Burgess performed during his side's 28-25 defeat at the hands of Wales on Saturday.
The rugby league convert started a competitive Test match for England for the first time at Twickenham, coming up against the vastly experienced Jamie Roberts in midfield.
Lancaster's decision to include Burgess, as well as fly-half Owen Farrell, was questioned in some quarters, but he believes that the switch paid off despite the result.
"I thought [Burgess] did pretty well. Overall I thought the team played well. There were lots of phases in the game. Certainly the first-half performance was excellent, and Sam was a part of that. I thought Owen Farrell had a great game," he told Sports Mole.
"There was a lot made of [the selection], but I certainly trusted the team and trusted the squad. They did well. But overall it isn't about one player, it's about all 23.
"It's about results and we didn't get the result. That's what ultimately will hurt us tonight, but we've got to roll our sleeves up pretty quick and get ready for Australia because that's a massive game now."
The defeat leaves England realistically needing to beat Australia next Saturday to stand a chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Barney Corkhill
