RICHARD HILL reflected this week on England's stunning victory over Ireland at Landsdowne Road on Sunday that brought them the elusive Grand Slam.

"It's not really sunk in yet," said the 29-year-old flanker, who won his 57th cap in Sunday's Gram Slam decider. "I think it's something you'll look back on with appreciation when times gone by, but in terms of my international career it was certainly at the top.

"It was a big game," continued Hill. "I spoke about the intensity of the match beforehand and what an occasion it would be and none of us were disappointed. I was certainly surprised by the scoreline and it didn't reflect how hard the game was because it was a tough game. But it was certainly a good end to the tournament as far as we were concerned.

"Things didn't necessarily go as we would have wanted in those first two games but slowly towards the end we started to show some of the potential we had shown in the past three years.

"We don't want to get too carried away," warned Hill.

"It was a good performance under a lot of pressure. They had a lot of possession in the first half and were testing our defence but we looked after one another and we were able to snuff them out.

"The real major blow was Mike Tindall's try and it certainly seemed to give us more confidence and that latitude in terms of a 14-point gap. The last couple of tries came about because of the pressure our defence had put them under. It was very physical and it was hotter than people imagined and, with the speed of the game, there was lot of tired legs out there.

"I think we approached the game in the right manner. In training everyone was completely focused and that meant people were nervous and at times snapping at one another but it was all positive and meant we were on the right track."

Hill produced another stroming performance in the back row, having a major hand in the first try and finishing as the game's third top tackler, but insists their is still room for improvement.

"Bar a couple of defensive issues I had with my own game, I thought it went well and I came off the pitch happy which was probably the most important thing."

Never one to rest on his laurels, Hill hopes to have recovered from a foot injury, that has seen him limp around the Bramley Road traning ground this week, to help inspire Saracens to a much-needed win over London Irish on Sunday.

"It's another big game at the weekend with a lot riding on it for both teams. It's good to be back at the club and good to be around friends and be back after a concentrated period away from home. I definitely would like to have seen us further up the table, but we have got three home games left and we have got to make full use of that advantage."

April 7, 2003 09:30