Patience paid off - Johnson

England boss Martin Johnson saluted his side after they "found a way to win" their RBS 6 Nations opener against Wales at Twickenham.

England triumphed 30-17, but they saw a 17-point advantage almost wiped out when Wales scored converted second-half tries through prop Adam Jones and centre James Hook. Johnson though, finally breathed easily when flanker James Haskell claimed his second try, rounding off a 60-metre interception break that finished Wales off following an earlier touchdown by scrum-half Danny Care.

And while it might have been nowhere near the finished article, Johnson at least had cause for optimism, and said: "I thought the patience we showed was good. We had been there a little bit in the past year or so and not turned opportunities into points."

He added: "We had a big focus not to start the second half flat. We wanted to raise the tempo, and I thought Danny Care did a tremendous job.

"The disappointing bit was losing our way in the middle period of the second half. They got a bit of pressure on our scrum.

"They scored two tries and we were under pressure, but ultimately we found a way to win and we took our try at the end very well. You have to find a way to win, and we did."

Johnson accepted that England have much to work on going into next weekend's clash against Italy, which is followed by a home clash against reigning Six Nations champions Ireland 13 days later.

He continued: "We've had some tough losses, and games turn on small things, but we know there are lots and lots to get better at.

"There is a lot of improvement in us, and no-one is getting carried away. The guys understand they did some things well and some other things not so well."