England pack impressive – Launchbury

England second-row Joe Launchbury praised his side's forward effort in their 30-22 loss to New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

England second-row Joe Launchbury praised his side's forward effort in their 30-22 loss to New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

The London Wasps lock bagged a close-range try as England fought back from a 17-3 deficit to briefly lead the world champions.

And it was the performance of the pack, with Launchbury at the forefront, that turned plenty heads, in spite of the disappointing scoreline.

“Obviously we're really disappointed with the result – we came here to give it a good go and our target in this autumn was to get three wins,” Launchbury told the RFU website after the loss to New Zealand.

“We've fallen just short today.

“I suppose looking back we have to be pleased to an extent, though. We were a bit slow out of the blocks and fair play to New Zealand, they scored a good try early on and put us under pressure. But slowly we ground it out and just about got back into it by half-time.

“We are missing a few boys but we've got good strength in depth in our pack and anyone can come in and really perform. That was key today and throughout the series, so we're disappointed with the result but pleased with how it went up front.

Facing competition from the likes of Geoff Parling and Dave Attwood, the 22-year-old stated his desire to prove his worth to the national side.

“I wanted to try and keep hold of the shirt this autumn and prove I deserved to be here,” added Launchbury.

“Hopefully I've done that.

“The pack has gone well, which has helped because I've just been able to fit in and do my role.”