Eddie Jones: England win over South Africa will give new-look side confidence
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England had to dig deep to beat the world's number one side South Africa at Twickenham
Head coach Eddie Jones hailed his new-look England side's "aggressive attack" after they beat world champions South Africa in a classic encounter.
England scored three tries before fly-half Marcus Smith nailed a last-gasp penalty to secure a famous 27-26 win.
Jones brought in several youngsters for the autumn Tests and his team won all three matches as they build for the 2023 World Cup in France.
"This series just gives the players a lot of confidence," said Jones.
"With the first try against Australia and a couple of tries we scored today, we've added some really good, aggressive attack into our game.
"At times the Springboks got on top of us in the set-piece, but we managed to edge out enough quality possession to score enough points."
As well as Smith, youngsters such as Freddie Steward, Raffi Quirke, Bevan Rodd and Jamie Blamire have enjoyed a successful autumn.
"We said in the summer that the Lions tour draws a line in the sand and that you need to regenerate and have a little bit of a rebirth to go to the World Cup," added Jones.
"There's some good players coming through but we've got some pretty good experienced players too.
"They feel comfortable within themselves, they want to be together, they want to work together.
"Our stated aim is to win the World Cup, so we want to be better in the next campaign."
'Smith's going to be better in the Six Nations'
Marcus Smith made his England debut in the summer
Smith's poise against South Africa's physical defence suggests he is ready to dominate games at the highest level.
Jones, however, insisted Smith still remains a "work in progress" despite the 22-year-old starring in the absence of injured captain Owen Farrell.
"Each game he's going to get a little bit better," said Jones. "He did a great job today, but he's going to be better in the Six Nations.
"I know he will be because he's got a great desire to keep learning and to keep on getting better."
Asked if Smith will be England's starting fly-half in February, Jones continued: "You can't make those predictions as we've seen.
"We had a captain and a vice-captain that we don't have any more because they are injured or out with Covid.
"As long as he keeps improving he's going to have a good role in this team."
Smith conquers 'nerve-wracking' moment
Smith calmly walked away to tie up his boot laces while both sides' forward packs pushed and shoved each other after the match-winning penalty was awarded.
"It was mental, having to wait so long," he told Amazon Prime. "The referees were checking the TMO. It made it more nerve-wracking.
"The boys around me backed me. They put their arm around me and said back yourself. Ultimately I did my job. It was brilliant.
"Once I hit the kick it was like slow motion - it was so emotional for me.
"To win the penalty and properly celebrate at the end was amazing. This group will never forget this day."
Player of the match Freddie Steward, who watched the 2019 World Cup final in his university bar, was a bundle of nerves when Smith stepped up.
"At that moment I was just thinking 'Marcus, please don't miss'," joked the 20-year-old Leicester full-back.
"We dug in, we fought. South Africa are so physical and you can't shy away from that.
"It was a whole squad effort and it was unbelievable."