Wales romped to their first Six Nations win of the season

"We were almost blown away but the players showed a lot of resilience to get back into it," he said.

"You must give credit to the Welsh pack but we didn't get it right up front so we were playing on the back foot.

"We dominated a French pack last week but to back it up after six days is pretty difficult."

Interview: England coach Brian Ashton

He added: "For a 20-minute spell in the second half we were 30 metres from our line and couldn't get away.

"We've got to be smarter and technically more accurate. But the players can hold their heads up high.

"It's a fair old cauldron out there, it will serve the young players well for the future."

606: DEBATE The scoreline flattered the English, they should have a lost by a lot more TW

Ashton, who was at the helm for his first Six Nations, added that it had been an "interesting" tournament, saying he had learnt a lot about his players.

"We hoped to win all our home games and wanted to sneak an away game," he said.

"We didn't manage it but got a lot closer today than at Croke Park and showed in flashes we can test opponents.