For a breed which professes not to read newspapers, rugby players and coaches are remarkably well informed about what is written in them.

The way England reacted to New Zealand snipes that they were arrogant in victory showed that it is not so much the results of the internationals this month which will have an impact on next year's World Cup as much as the psychological warfare waged before them.

There was no gloating in the gloaming from England on Saturday after only their fifth victory over the All Blacks, though this year's model was more 'Not the All Blacks' with21 players left at home to rest and recuperate.

The England head coach Clive Woodward should have been celebrating his finest hour but at the after-match press conference he continually referred to the taunts of the Kiwis about the "arrogant" English, beaten in victory.

"It wasn't about next year's World Cup, it was about beating New Zealand which we did.

"I am not downbeat, but I do not want to look like an arrogant Englishman," he said. "I am not going to be gloating as people have suggested in the last week. [Andrew] Mehrtens played very well in the second half, shame he did not just do his talking on the pitch. I was told by our New Zealand friends all week that rugby is about winning and we won."

This was a reference to Mehrtens remarks last week that England are "pricks to lose to". "Mehrts does say some fine things," said his captain Taine Randell, "and that was very accurate."

England had won the match but New Zealand had won the war of words. Randell's parting shot on the eve of the game was that, because of the depleted nature of the All Blacks, they had nothing to lose. There was no boasting after England's 16th consecutive home victory because they were hanging on against a side whose pack did not include one player who had started a Tri-nations match this year.

Even the selection of Jonah Lomu had a hint of contempt about it with his coach John Mitchell admitting that the wing had not been good enough to play in the Tri-nations.

Mitchell was not so much speaking to Lomu through the media as England and the message was not lost. Ridiculed for doing a lap of honour after losing to the All Blacks at Old Trafford in 1997, few of the home players punched the air in triumph at the final whistle on Saturday with the captain Martin Johnson confining himself to a perfunctory handshake.

"Beating New Zealand is a cause for huge satisfaction," said the England scrum half Matt Dawson, "but we can only enjoy it for 24 hours before turning our attention to Australia and improving things we need to work on."