Wilkinson takes positives from tour

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England were on the receiving end of a 55-22 defeat at Loftus Versfeld, the latest setback coming just a week after they were blitzed in record 58-10 fashion by the Springboks.

The Newcastle fly-half said: "I cannot speak any more positively about the spirit in this squad. It was always going to be a tough tour, but we have learned so much from this trip, probably more than the South Africans."

He added: "It has been a joy to be on this tour. Everyone has been so positive, and I have been proud to captain them.

"The effort has been unquestionable, and this is why I got involved in rugby. Without this trip, we may not have known exactly what we had to work on or the players who could make an impact.

"I enjoyed the physicality of both games."

England were ultimately blown away by the sheer power of South Africa's forward game, conceding 38 points after the break, although it was a far better performance than they produced seven days ago.

Wilkinson added: "I thought we were in good shape at half-time, but too many mistakes cost us dearly in the second half.

"The desire and energy was massive, but the cumulative effect of a couple of rash decisions and some mistakes puts you in the wrong areas of the field.

"It was really up to us to shape the second half, but we were soon back to square one and the energy levels dropped off. The South Africans are excellent at capitalising on errors. Half a mistake, and they are away."