Gregan refuses to get carried away
Australia captain reflects on win over England
Australia captain George Gregan refuses to get carried away with his side's 34-3 victory over England and believes both teams are in a rebuilding stage with a long way to go before they reach the peak of their powers.
However, the veteran scrum-half, who equalled the world record number of international appearances in Sunday's match at 119, was pleased with the win, especially since it was the Wallabies' first Test victory since losing eight out of nine matches on their northern hemisphere tour late last year.
"A winning dressing room is a much nicer experience than a losing one, so it was a good start for everyone," said Gregan.
"There's a bit of rust there, which is always the case with the first Test of the season, and especially with a lot of new players in the group.
"The attitude was great, the commitment to the task was really good, so I'm really proud of the effort from everyone."
But Gregan has been around long enough not to get too excited by one win.
He made the point that the England team competing in the two Cook Cup matches in Australia this year is quite experimental and a far cry from the squad that won the World Cup in 2003.
"Same country, different opposition, different personnel – there isn't a bloke with a mad left foot – thank God," he added, in reference to Jonny Wilkinson.
"Different cattle in both teams, really. There's a few guys in that team who were there in 2003, just like there are few blokes in our squad, but they're different circumstances, different event."
The 33-year-old will still take the victory and enjoy it, but not for too long.
"Let's not kid ourselves," he said. "From an Australia angle, it's always nice to be on the right side [of the score], but it will start 0-0 next week in Melbourne and they'll look to improve as we will."
