ROB Webber returns from England’s summer tour to Australia confident he has what it takes to establish himself in Martin Johnson’s side.

The hooker who signed a new deal at Wasps before jetting Down Under didn’t feature in the Test team which won one and lost one against the Wallabies, but he did fight his way into the Midweek squad and takes a huge amount of encouragement from his impact.

He said: “I’ve not been overawed by it in any way and I’m confident I can cut the mustard when I get the chance.

“It’s a step up from the Saxons, but I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s been great to be involved with the senior side.

“I’ve been a bit frustrated with the amount of time I’ve spent on the pitch but that’s probably been my role on this trip.

“It’s been a trip to learn on and learn off the older guys and senior players and coaches, which I think I’ve done, and when I got on the pitch I think I gave a good account of myself.”

Webber came off the bench in England’s 15-9 victory over the Australian Barbarians and was also used as a second-half substitute in Wednesday’s narrow 35-28 loss to New Zealand Maori in Napier.

“Every facet of the trip has been really good, from Perth to Sydney and Napier.

“When we were in Perth I was talking to a few people and they barely knew what rugby was. It’s more Aussie Rules there but in Sydney it was more at the forefront of people’s minds and in Napier it’s a real hotbed.

“So it’s built up nicely throughout the trip.”

Webber will now put his feet up before joining up with his Wasps team-mates for pre-season.

He said: “All the boys back at the club wished us luck and we’ve kept in regular contact with Joe Ward and Marty Veale, all the Kiwi boys.

“So I’m looking forward to getting back involved with Wasps for pre-season.

“The body maybe needs a little bit of a rest, but as soon as pre-season comes around we’ll be focussed on Wasps and Premiership and whatever comes after that, because having been exposed to [international rugby] it’s really given me a taste for it.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand-born Dan Ward-Smith says Wednesday’s match against New Zealand Maori was the highlight of the tour for him.

The Wasps forward still has family living in New Zealand and he was welcomed to Napier by banners at the airport.

He said: “I’ve spent part of my life in New Zealand and part of my life in England, so this was a great fixture for me to be involved in.

“Any opportunity to pull on an England shirt is great, but this had extra significance to me and when I saw the fixture list this one jumped off the page.”