Martin Johnson took a swipe at his detractors after England's rugby players secured only their third win in Australia in more than a century, defeating the Wallabies 21-20 to revive fond memories of their World Cup final victory on the same ground in 2003 and secure an unlikely 1-1 draw in the series.
England's winning points even came from the familiar boot of Jonny Wilkinson, whose fine second-half penalty crucially edged his side in front in a fluctuating contest. Johnson, under some pressure following a number of poor performances, had been criticised for not naming Wilkinson in his starting XV and could not resist a dig at the critics who had questioned him.
"I got asked if it was about time we dominated a Test in the southern hemisphere. It doesn't happen very often but when you win one it is pretty special," said Johnson. "I've said all week I don't worry about my record or my job. I worry about this team getting better. We've still got to be better and more consistent but we won the Test match.
"The pressure from the outside and the negativity around the team when you are not getting results makes it difficult for the people around you. The players have been mentally tough to come through that and play well. The coaches have also taken a lot of grief. If you listened to the outside you'd have dropped most of the players five times over and the coaches six times. You have to have trust and loyalty sometimes."
Johnson added that England's attitude had been a decisive factor. "There's a lot of stuff spoken about flair and imagination and all those romantic things you guys like to talk about but it's about pressure. A lot of the things we said we'd improve on we did. I thought it was a fantastic effort. We said at half-time it would come down to work-rate and it was a huge effort from the players in the last game of a long, long year."
Wilkinson also insisted England are on the right track and backed Johnson as the ideal man to take England forward. "I can only recall 10 or 12 press conferences out of the last 10 or 12 when I've said this is a good team," he said. "The players and the coaches in position are right and the way they're doing things is right. I guess it's reassuring in a way that I'm not losing my touch in terms of [assessing] the game."
The Wallaby captain, Rocky Elsom, suggested England were a "desperate side" whose hunger for victory had transformed them following their poor display in Perth. The Australia coach, Robbie Deans, acknowledged the result would boost English confidence.
"Obviously England will be much happier," he said. "I guess it makes their summer a bit easier to approach. We didn't force England to work hard enough for their points."
Matt Giteau, whose missed penalty kick from in front of the posts played a significant role, also accepted his share of the blame. "It's not my proudest moment but these things happen. You've just got to move forward."
