Cynical Wallabies got just desserts

'They were very talkative on the pitch but very quiet afterwards. We deserved to win because we played more rugby than they did.'

England's 22-19 victory, on top of last summer's 27-22 win over South Africa in Bloemfontein, has given them two major scalps in consecutive matches for the first time. They did beat the All Blacks and the Springboks seven seasons ago but the matches were played seven months apart, before and after the 1994 Five Nations.

Dawson, a second-half substitute for Kyran Bracken after missing the summer South African tour following a shoulder operation, said: 'England have always been a team who could only beat the big three in one-off matches. It's a fantastic win, a huge step in the right direction because we have again proved we can do it.

'England's ambition is to win the World Cup but that's three years off so there is a long, long way to go. We have a very self-critical squad, lots of talented individuals who are always analysing themselves and constantly aspiring to become better players.' Dan Luger, scorer of Saturday's late winning try awarded after a video re-run, also criticised the Australian approach. 'It was pretty annoying, standing out there and getting cold while they tried to waste time,' he said. 'I was praying the try decision would go our way. When the referee gave it, I felt like I'd just won a million dollars! I didn't really believe it.

'We knew this was a must-win game. If we'd lost it would have left us demoralised, annoyed and frustrated. We know we can play a lot better but it says a lot for our character that we still beat such awesome opponents.' England manager Clive Woodward will be hard pushed to omit Iain Balshaw from his team for Saturday's home match against Argentina following his decisive performance as a substitute for Austin Healey on the right wing.

Balshaw admitted that the first he saw of Luger's try was when it appeared on the large video screen before it was confirmed.

'I thought he'd grounded the ball but all sorts of things go through your mind at a time like that,' he said. 'It was agonising watching it and waiting for the decision. We weren't at 100 per cent but beating the world champions will be a big turning point in England's development.' Skipper Martin Johnson spent the night before the match watching a tape of the classic Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight - the Rumble in the Jungle. 'I thought near the end that we had punched ourselves out as Foreman did against Ali,' said Johnson. 'Luckily, we had one punch left.'