A 19-6 defeat to New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday brought the curtain down on Johnson's second autumn in charge of the national team, and although it was not as chastening as the three heavy defeats they suffered 12 months ago, there remain more questions than answers as attentions turn towards the Six Nations, which begins in February.

Saturday's performance was high on commitment and desire but sadly lacking in offensive or creative guile, and was rightly viewed by Johnson as an 'opportunity lost' against an All Blacks side who were nowhere near as mighty as they have been in past incarnations.

Nevertheless, with Dan Carter kicking 14 points and pulling the strings, they had enough to edge past a limited England in the second half.

England have now won just six of 14 matches under Johnson and have only beaten Argentina of the southern hemisphere heavyweights twice, latterly nine days ago when they were booed from the field.

But Johnson, who lifted the World Cup as England captain six years ago yesterday, said: "It's a step forward but it may not be reflected by what we have done on the field.

"As a group we have gone forward. We came into the series with a lot of disruptions. There were guys who played in this series that didn't think they would be doing so in October, and they've all done pretty well.

"Although it hasn't showed in results, as a group they are a lot further down the line than this time last year, or the Six Nations (earlier this year)."

With the opening Six Nations fixture against Wales less than 10 weeks away, Johnson is hoping the players who missed the entirety of the autumn internationals series – Riki Flutey and Delon Armitage among them – will be able to play some part in the Spring.

And the heavy injury list which deprived Johnson of a number of first-choice players at least opened the door for others to stake a claim.

Lewis Moody grabbed the opportunity in typically bullish fashion, demonstrating he can still excel at international level, while the likes of Matt Banahan and Mark Cueto have shown they can hold their own on the biggest stage.

There is a concern though over Joe Worsley who left the field after two minutes on Saturday having torn medial ligaments in his knee.

But when asked what shape Johnson feels his team head into the Six Nations in, he said: "Pretty good.

"Players will be coming back to fitness in December and it will make it a tough call for who makes the squad. We need to determine how we want to play during the tournament and pick accordingly.

"There's 30 players, 40 maybe, and there are going to be a lot of tough calls."

While the players will move forward, the future of the coaches remains in doubt.

Johnson is contracted until the 2011 Rugby World Cup and has the backing of the elite rugby director Rob Andrew, who will this week launch a review of the last month amid calls for a clear-out of Johnson's lieutenants.

Defence coach Mike Ford has come under the closest scrutiny but could be presented with a get-out after being linked with a switch across the codes to succeed Tony Smith as England's rugby league coach.

The Rugby Football League have set up a four-man panel to find Smith's replacement and a high-placed Twickenham insider said "gentle enquiries" have been made about Ford's availability.

It is likely the RFL panel will make an appointment before the start of the Super League season in February, which coincides with the opening round of Six Nations fixtures.

Forwards coach John Wells, appointed at the same time as Ford, has been described as "stale" and there remain questions about how effectively his rugby philosophy dovetails with that of attack coach Brian Smith.

The criticism the whole squad received in the wake of the narrow victory over Argentina galvanised them and helped create a siege mentality that was apparent in the early exchanges against the All Blacks.

And afterwards Johnson came out in support of his backroom team. "The way they have handled themselves has been tremendous," he said.

"I'm proud of the effort of the players and the staff, it's been a tough week. Considering what the staff have been through they've done a terrific job.

"Absolutely this is the team I want for the Six Nations."