ENGLAND’S CARE CALLS FOR MORE PATIENCE

Danny Care is convinced England will improve in time for the second Test against Australia but calls for patience when judging the slow progress made in developing their attack.

Care’s comeback after four years in international exile was spoilt by a 30-28 defeat by the 14-man Wallabies in Perth that saw Eddie Jones’ tourists implode in the final quarter by surrendering a 14-9 lead.

A recurring theme since reaching the 2019 World Cup final has been England’s toothless attack and beyond a bright start that shortcoming remained evident at the Optus Stadium.

Jones is attempting to implement a new offensive game plan directed by Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith that focuses on playing with the ball in hand, but Care acknowledges that it is a work in progress.

“It takes time. You can’t just instantly be a brilliantly attack team,” said the Harlequins halfback ahead of Saturday’s second Test in Brisbane.

“We’ve got different characters in the squad and different team mentalities that we’re trying to bring into one team.

“The new England type of attack wants to be an all-court game. We want to be able to play from anywhere.”

● Damian Willemse broke Welsh hearts with the final kick of a pulsating Test match as world champions South Africa triumphed 32-29 at Loftus Versfeld.

Willemse’s penalty – awarded following a deliberate knock-on by Wales captain Dan Biggar – denied Wales a draw.

And for large parts of a breath-taking contest, Wayne Pivac’s team looked destined to end 58 years of hurt by claiming a first victory over the Springboks in South Africa.

Beaten at home by Italy just three months ago, Wales were written off before they arrived in Pretoria, but wing Louis Rees-Zammit’s first-half try double helped put South Africa on the rack.

● Ireland capitulated following a strong start and lost captain Johnny Sexton to injury as clinical New Zealand recorded an emphatic 42-19 first-Test victory in Auckland.