LAWRENCE Dallaglio took stock of England's demise during their demoralising Southern Hemisphere tour, but vowed: "We shall rebuild and come back a much stronger side."

The battered world champions flew home today from a trip too far, with their ludicrously long 44-week season finally over.

Two Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand and a World Cup final rematch with Australia predictably proved too tough a task for players who, mentally and physically, were running on empty.

The stark statistics are that England conceded 123 points and 14 tries on their travels to Dunedin, Auckland and Brisbane.

World Cup talismen Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Robinson, Phil Vickery and Will Greenwood were inevitably missed, but the over-riding factor was that England just had nothing left to give.

Seven months after beating Australia to win the World Cup, England were on the receiving end of a major Wallabies backlash, being outscored 6-2 on tries in a 51-15 mauling.

England were condemned to their heaviest defeat for six years, a second heaviest against Australia and fourth in succession against all opponents, equalling head coach Sir Clive Woodward's worst results sequence since taking charge in 1997.

Losing streak

In the wake of last November's World Cup triumph, England have lost five from eight Tests, defeating only Wales, Scotland and Italy.

"If we are being brutally honest, in light of the schedule that this England team have faced and the players have faced domestically, it probably wasn't the most sensible move," said skipper Dallaglio, assessing England's latest expedition Down Under.