Ben Youngs says there is plenty left to play for in the three Test series after England's agonising defeat to New Zealand in Auckland.
Conrad Smith’s 77th-minute try condemned England to a 20-15 defeat to the world champions, who had not lost at Eden Park since 1994.
Freddie Burns, who moves to Leicester Tigers at the end of the series, enjoyed a 100 per cent record from the tee with four penalties as he forged a new partnership with Youngs.
And Youngs said there was huge frustration in the squad , missing 15 players from the Aviva Premiership finalists, after their late defeat.
“We are really disappointed,” he said. “The group who came here today strongly believed we could win. We came up short, which was very disappointing.
“It’s one of those few moments in sport when you come off extremely proud of the efforts that every single player showed but also extremely disappointed because that was a huge opportunity for this young group of players.
“We’re disappointed but we also know that there are two more games and we can bounce back. There’s a lot left to play for.”
Conrad Smith’s 77th-minute try condemned England to a 20-15 defeat to the world champions, who had not lost at Eden Park since 1994.
Freddie Burns, who moves to Leicester Tigers at the end of the series, enjoyed a 100 per cent record from the tee with four penalties as he forged a new partnership with Youngs.
And Youngs said there was huge frustration in the squad , missing 15 players from the Aviva Premiership finalists, after their late defeat.
“We are really disappointed,” he said. “The group who came here today strongly believed we could win. We came up short, which was very disappointing.
“It’s one of those few moments in sport when you come off extremely proud of the efforts that every single player showed but also extremely disappointed because that was a huge opportunity for this young group of players.
“We’re disappointed but we also know that there are two more games and we can bounce back. There’s a lot left to play for.”
