about ENGLAND BRANDED THUGS BY NEW ZEALAND MEDIA

England's forward Simon Shaw makes the long walk to the sideline after receiving a red card from referee Nigel Williams, unseen, for stomping, during the rugby test match between the All Blacks and England at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, June19, 2004. The All Blacks won, 36-12

Referee Nigel Williams, second left, struggles to control a fight after England's Simon Shaw (4) received a red card for stomping during the rugby test match between the All Blacks and England at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, June19, 2004. The All Blacks won, 36-12.

ENGLAND BRANDED THUGS BY NEW ZEALAND MEDIA

New Zealand's media have launched a stinging attack on England's rugby team branding them nothing more than thugs.

Despite the All Blacks winning the Test series 2-0 much of the focus has been on the sending-off of Simon Shaw, the ban metered out to Danny Grewcock for stamping on Daniel Carter and the general indiscipline, which the New Zealand media argues was largely at England's instigation, shown in the matches at Carisbrook and Eden Park.

Under the headline 'Dirty England a disgrace' the Dominion Post's Australian columnist Spiro Zavos said England were "nothing more than a rabble, a rugby equivalent of a lynch mob, intent on playing All Blacks off the ball and angering them into mistakes and indiscretions".

Zavos also turned on Sir Clive Woodward for his comments about Shaw's dismissal saying: "A genuine world champion side, like the All Blacks in 1987 and the Wallabies inn 1991 and 1999, sets the standard in world rugby for the best practice. It does not try to set the standard for 'allowable' foul play.

He continued: "Woodward's attempt to exonerate his players represents a disgrace to the leadership position he is supposed to now hold in world rugby as a knight for services to rugby. Services to thuggery is more like it."

The New Zealand Herald's rugby writer Wynne Gray follows much the same theme arguing England "were shown up in both tests as a group who resorted to bully-boy tactics when their skills deserted them. It has happened to all top rugby sides on the slide. When age hurts or skills deteriorate, the indiscipline escalates".

Richard Boock is also scathing of Woodward's reaction to the Shaw sending-off and likens the England coach to a World War I general.

"The England coach clearly prepared his team to go over the top and then refused to accept the responsibility of his own flawed planning.

"Even worse he showed a distinct lack of integrity by attacking the match officials."

England are now in Australia preparing for their final Test match of the season against the Wallabies.