In the professional era of rugby union, there is of no room for viewing the harsh realities of series defeats as overly praiseworthy.

But the manner in which the British and Irish Lions went about taking on the all-conquering world-champion Springboks on their own turf has illuminated the way forward for the home nations as they prepare for the autumn internationals and 2010 Six Nations.

Wedre it not for misguided initial selection in the forward pack, an overly-timid first half in Durban and a second half in Pretoria that was damaged beyond repair by injuries to key players, the Lions could conceivably have won the Test series 3-0.

Indeed, after that disastrous opening 40 minutes in the first fixture, they outscored the Boks by 67 points to 44.

Once the basics of retaining set-piece possession had been addressed, the Lions displayed total commitment to playing at pace and from depth and by retaining the ball in hand whenever possible.

Consequently, the Springbok line was punctured on countless occasions and seven tries were scored by the tourists.

Given South Africa’s justified reputation as one of the world’s leading defensive units, this statistic should prove substantial food for thought for England supremo Martin Johnson and his team of coaches.

Whereas in recent times England have been continually hamstrung by slow ruck ball and ponderous 'pods' of forwards, the Lions mesmerised in their positive intent, ambition and lack of inhibition on the grandest of stages.

It boils down to questions of attitude and approach - can Johnson be as brave as Ian McGeechan and liberate his players to perform without the constraint of an overly structured or formulaic game plan?

Even with a back three as potentially potent as Ugo Monye, Paul Sackey and Delon Armitage at his disposal, Johnson's natural disposition may not be to trust his squad sufficiently to allow them license to play a truly broken-field style.

It is, after all, a much higher risk strategy than was ever deployed by the all-powerful England team he captained with such distinction.

Johnson may point to the fact that England remain in 'transition', striving to find the balance between youth and experience whilst also attempting to establish a pattern of play. These, however, are the ideal ingredients with which to work.

The Lions themselves, as has been well documented, had precious little preparation time. They were as ever compelled, some well-rehearsed first phase backs moves apart, to rely on individuals playing what was in front of them on the pitch.

Where Johnson will find common ground with the Lions and the way they played is in their absolute desire to compete physically with the Boks, never taking a backward step. Aggressive tackling, rucking and scrummaging are the bedrocks from which flowing threequarter play is possible.

With his new 32-man elite squad announced yesterday (Tuesday) and a certain Jonny Wilkinson back in the fold to marshall operations, the raw materials are certainly in place.

England Elite Squad: Steffon Armitage, Steve Borthwick, George Chuter, Jordan Crane, Tom Croft, Louis Deacon, Nick Easter, Dylan Hartley, Ben Kay, Lee Mears, Tim Payne, Tom Rees, Simon Shaw, Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery, Julian White, David Wilson, Joe Worsley, Delon Armitage, Matt Banahan, Danny Care, Mark Cueto, Harry Ellis, Toby Flood, Riki Flutey, Dan Hipkiss, Paul Hodgson, Ugo Monye, Olly Morgan, Mathew Tait, Mike Tindall, Jonny Wilkinson.