Martin Johnson hailed England's response to a week of relentless criticism after they went down fighting against New Zealand at Twickenham.

The All Blacks emerged 19-6 winners but England showed enough passion and fire to ease the pressure on Johnson's regime brought about by dismal displays against Australia and Argentina. Jimmy Cowan's 57th-minute try was the decisive act of the match but Johnson felt his side should have caused New Zealand greater problems in the final quarter.

"I have mixed feelings because we could have been in the game with 10 minutes to go," he said. "When they scored it was a little too much for us to peg back but, saying that, we had chances at the end."

He added: "I'm proud of the effort the players and coaches have put in all week and everything they've done.

"It's been a tough week with all the criticism flying around.

"A lot of the guys took knocks but were hanging on at the end despite being injured.

"We could have been in there with a shout with 10 minutes to go. We had plenty of chances to score tries as we spent time in their 22.

"I'm proud of the guys but ultimately it's an opportunity lost to have a crack at them."

The harshest criticism this week has been directed at assistant coaches John Wells, Brian Smith and Mike Ford, but Johnson confirmed they will remain in place for the RBS 6 Nations.

"I'm happy with the coaching team. Considering what they've been through, they've done a brilliant job," he said. "Absolutely this is the team I want for the Six Nations."