MARLAND YARDE said it was an unbelievable feeling to score a try on his England debut.
The former Whitgift School pupil impressed on his first appearance for the senior England squad on Sunday, having a hand in the first-minute try against the Barbarians at Twickenham, before going on to score a try himself later in the game with a great burst through the Baa-Baas defence.
And the London Irish man said it was a special day for him to walk out at Twickenham in front of a crowd of 60,601, and then to cap it off with a try.
He said: "It was an unbelievable feeling to make my first appearance for the senior side and I was really happy I could contribute to a win.
"It is an honour to play for England at any age group, but it was massively humbling walking out and I felt a lot of pride.
"The crowd were fantastic and it was a really special day for me. I can't wait to play again now."
Yarde was a star of the Whitgift side that lifted the Daily Mail RBS National Schools' U18 cup at Twickenham in 2010, with the South Croydon school becoming the first London-based team to win the trophy.
And Yarde said he owed a lot to the staff at the school for helping him get to where he is today in rugby.
He said: "It is a massive rugby school there and that was a great stepping stone for me.
"I am grateful to everyone who has helped me to get to where I am now, but I can't rest on my laurels and I am just looking forward to the next game now."
Yarde is part of the England squad to tour South America, where they will take on a South America XV in Montevideo, Uruguay, before two Tests against Argentina.
And he said that will be a good test for Stuart Lancaster's side.
He said: "We are all looking forward to it, but we know that it will be tough. We are expecting a hostile crowd out there and Argentina are a tough side.
"We will have to be at our best to win the games and for a lot of us, who have come through the system, it is a good chance to stake a claim for a spot in the future squads."
Another Whitgift School pupil to impress in the fixture at Twickenham was Yarde's former team-mate Elliott Daly, who scored a great solo try towards the end of the game for the Barbarians, who lost the match 40-12.
Daly, who now plays for London Wasps, is not in the England squad for the tour, but after the game England head coach Lancaster said he was "next on the list".
He said: "He was very unlucky to miss out on the tour party, but he is definitely a player for England for the future.
"I was delighted to see him play for the Barbarians and, in a perverse way, I was pleased he scored a try, even if it was against us."
