Jamie George admits England must do better after narrow victory over Wales… but insists his side have the belief to spring a surprise Six Nations title bid

Jamie George admitted he was relieved to maintain England’s unbeaten start with a narrow win over Wales on Saturday, but insisted his side had the confidence to pull off a Six Nations upset.

The captain admitted his team need to do better against Scotland at Murrayfield in two weeks’ time, but claimed no ‘big leap’ in performance is needed to stage a surprise title bid.

“There is faith,” George said. “We’ve got to take advantage of this fallow week, we’ve got a good opportunity to get some rest and then focus on getting better because we know we’re going to have to get better in the run-up to Murrayfield.

“The foundations that we have laid have given us some belief and we believe in what we do, believe in the English way and want to continue what we do and continue to grow.

‘I don’t think it’s a big step. Obviously there are three tough matches coming up, but I don’t think we can say it has to be a big leap forward to get a load better. We have to focus on creating an environment where people focus on getting better every day and that is taking advantage of what we can do in this fallow week, understanding the game plan that we want to use in the next three games.

But George insisted this England side had the belief to mount a surprise Six Nations title bid

“We are two from two, we have done well and we know we still have huge growth in the squad, so our focus is on making sure we optimize that.”

George Ford kicked a penalty in the 72nd minute to seal the 16-14 victory as England fought back from 14-5 down against an inexperienced Wales team. England will be boosted by the return of George Martin, Manu Tuilagi and Luke Cowan-Dickie for the match against Scotland.

Wales coach Warren Gatland said: ‘I am proud of the players’ performances and commitment but we are disappointed not to come away with the win. It’s part of the journey we’re on when it comes to developing as a team.”