Martin Johnson last night defended the industrial action taken by England's Test match squad, and declared: ''I don't believe it was waste of time.''

The captain also dismissed Rugby Football Union suggestions that his players had not understood details of a £6m pay offer.

The dispute that threatened Saturday's Test between England and Argentina ended barely 24 hours after it began.

But Johnson defended the squad's militant stance, claiming: ''We didn't take this action lightly.''

Johnson insisted that the RFU had increased guaranteed money to players, improving their basic match fee in relation to win bonuses, revealing that RFU management board member and Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler had brokered the deal.

England manager Clive Woodward, who said he felt let down by his players, oversaw a 90-minute session yesterday and will continue making up for lost time with two more work-outs today.

He will also announce the team two days later than originally planned.

Johnson was flanked by former England skippers Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson at a news conference in the team hotel and repeated why the squad had adopted such a hard-line approach.

''We didn't take this action lightly, I thought it was something we would never ever take,'' Johnson said. ''But we don't believe it was a waste of time. We have had an increase in guaranteed money, and both sides moved a little bit on this.

''We felt we had to take the action, and it was the most difficult decision any of us have made, but we had to stick to our principles,'' he added.

''We felt a larger percentage of our money should have been guaranteed, instead of being paid in win bonuses. We weren't that far apart after discussions on Monday night.''

The £6m, four-year package will see England's stars earn around £70,000 per annum from playing Test rugby, a match fee of £6,000 now believed to be split £4,000 in match fees and £2,000 in win bonus.

England will have their strongest available line-up on view this weekend, although clearly there are bridges to be built following an unsavoury episode in terms of player/management relations.

Woodward was not afraid to speak his mind and some straight-talking sessions will inevitably take place over the next few days.

Johnson agreed that the England squad had put its collective foot down regarding the pay structure, but all three players at last night's press conference were united in stating that the next move will be to do their talking on the pitch.

''I am delighted that we have come to a resolution, we didn't take the action lightly,'' Dallaglio said.

''The most important thing now is to focus on Saturday's game. We are playing a top-class side, and our preparation has been far from ideal.''

Johnson added: ''I don't feel as though I have let Clive down, these are negotiations that have taken place between professional players and the RFU.

''Clive disagrees with the action we've taken, but we felt that it was necessary. Today it was back to business in training, and nothing will focus our minds more than a Test match."

Agreement was reached following an early morning Twickenham meeting, and was then quickly ratified by the RFU management board.

Woodward had set his squad an 11am deadline to turn up for training, or not be selected for the Pumas clash.

Just under an hour before that cut-off time, the first players - Jonny Wilkinson and Ben Cohen - arrived at England's hotel, followed by their squad colleagues at regular intervals.

Training was initially postponed but then reconvened, and RFU chief executive Francis Baron, who like Woodward was exasperated by Monday night's deadlock, said he was delighted that agreement had been reached.

''We reached an agreement in principle this morning at Twickenham with CSS (the players' agents), and the players' representatives, based on proposals tabled by the RFU on Monday,'' Baron said.

''I am delighted that the players have now decided to accept these proposals, and that the matter has been resolved."

The line-up is due today, and there are likely to be changes. Hooker Phil Greening is struggling with injury, suggesting that Bath's Mark Regan will make his first Test match start since February 1998