England have 'no ceiling' to potential, says defiant George after All Blacks loss
- 897
England captain Jamie George says his side have "no ceiling" to their potential after another narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick's men were undone by a late fightback as the All Blacks triumphed 24-17 at Eden Park, following up a close 16-15 victory for the hosts in the first Test.
It could have been a different story, however, as England crossed for a third try that would have set up a conversion to draw 24-24 before a lengthy TMO review saw them penalised for obstruction in a maul.
George insists England must take all of the positives from their 2-0 series defeat, having threatened a first win in New Zealand since 2003.
"We're a significantly better team than when we started and there are hugely exciting times ahead for this England team," George told Sky Sports.
"We'll welcome New Zealand back to Twickenham in November and we look forward to that, but I don't think there is a ceiling in this team.
"You look at the age demographic, hugely talented guys who are desperate to learn, and it's an absolute pleasure to be a part of."
England scored through Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman tries, both via Marcus Smith kick passes.
Fly-half Smith, aged just 25, represents one of the more experience heads in the side as England attempt to build for the future.
Thanks for a great series, @AllBlacks 👏 @O2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/hTjIR9T71p
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 13, 2024
"If you look at guys like Fin Baxter and Ollie Sleightholme winning their first caps against the All Blacks, they'll never forget it and I thought they built on it nicely," Smith said.
"We've got a lot of young lads – I'm feeling old at the minute! But I think we are building to something.
"The belief we have as a group is growing, and on another day we get a result here or last week."
England next face Australia at home in November when head coach Borthwick hopes to continue the improvements.
"I think they'll be rightly proud of their efforts. The team is progressing," Borthwick said after the defeat.
"Clearly we've got work to do to get to where we want to be, but we're making steps forward."
