Martin Johnson insisted today England's second place in the Six Nations was not good enough and then challenged his players to prove they could close the gap on the major southern hemisphere nations.

England were hammered by Australia, South Africa and New Zealand last November but bounced back to finish runners-up in the Championship, which included good victories over Scotland and France.

However, Johnson admitted it "didn't feel like second place at times" as their campaign began with a scrappy victory over Italy and defeats against Wales and Ireland when the team's desperately bad disciplinary record earned them six yellow cards.

Johnson is now focusing on the two-Test summer series with Argentina, hoping it will provide further momentum to allow England to overcome the All Blacks next November and exact revenge for the 32-6 drubbing they received at Twickenham in the autumn.

The team manager said: "No way are we satisfied with what we have done this season and we have to improve in all areas both on and off the pitch. We want to close the gap on the southern hemisphere teams and our aim is to beat them next November.

"We have to get fitter and this is one of the key areas we need to address and was highlighted in our matches with the southern hemisphere nations. It is evident in the decision making under pressure where fatigue is a factor due to the ferocity and pace of the games.

"When it comes to the November matches, our players will have come up against all the best teams in the world at least once and we have to push the boundaries even further and set new standards. We are nowhere near where we need to be."

Johnson insisted he had no regrets about becoming team manager last summer, despite defeats such as the 42-6 trouncing at the hands of the Springboks which featured indiscipline and basic errors.

He added: "Being beaten by South Africa was the lowest point because we had chances and failed to take them but we kept the faith and the core of the team together and those guys are now an integral part of the squad.

"You can now feel the spirit in this squad and people like Toby Flood are getting a chance at No10 and are improving all the time. I didn't show much happiness as a player and I have revealed some emotions as manager and there was a lot of disappointment sitting in the Cardiff dressing room after our defeat to Wales. But I hope my reaction to some of our tries at Twickenham proves I can be a bit happy."