BRISBANE England rugby coach Clive Woodward brought his maligned touring team to Australia on Friday and admitted he was ``embarrassed`` by it. As young captain Matt Dawson called for some respect for the 37-man squad containing 20 uncapped players, Woodward said he was as upset as Australian authorities about the withdrawal of many stars. Australian rugby bosses Dick McGruther and John O'neill have continually blasted the England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) for allowing players to withdraw from the tour despite being fit enough to play for their club sides.

O'neill threatened to review future incoming tours of British sides. ``I'm as wild as he (O'neill) is,'' Woodward said. ``We've learnt a massive lesson out of this. I can't speak on behalf of the Rfu but I'm pretty embarrassed about the situation. ``As the national coach you would like to think that for a test match you would be picking players without worrying about major problems with the game in England. ``This is, I like to think, a culmination of circumstances and a one-off, I don't think it will happen again.`` Dawson, who inherited the captaincy from the most notable absentee, Skipper Lawrence Dallaglio, was upbeat about his squad.

``The only thing they lack is experience and there's only one way to get that,`` Dawson said. England plays australia in a test on June 6 before two against New Zealand and one against South Africa. (AP)