England coach Stuart Lancaster has promised that his side will keep their feet firmly on the ground following Friday night's impressive victory over Wales in the opening round of Six Nations fixtures.

The Red Rose fought back from 10-0 behind at a raucous Millennium Stadium to come out on top 21-16 and set the tone for a year which they hope will end with success at the World Cup.

However, Lancaster admits that there is a long way to go before his players pop the champagne, with a lot of work still to do in order to improve on previous near-misses at the tournament.

"We've been in the championship under me for three years and come second three times," The Guardian quotes him as saying. "I won't be getting carried away by victory over Wales, even though it is right up there after the experience we had two years ago.

"I will be getting the players' feet back on the ground on Monday because we need to be better against Italy. We will certainly not be thinking about Ireland."

England, who have now defeated Wales in successive games, will next meet the Red Dragons at Twickenham in the World Cup later this year.