George Gregan wants Will Genia to get his hands on the ball as much as possible © Getty Images

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Australia will defeat the British & Irish Lions if they adapt an attacking mindset, Wallabies Rugby World Cup winner and Lions slayer George Gregan believes.

Gregan wrote in a column for The Telegraph in London that "Australian sports sides are at their best when they are on the front foot, and I think this Wallabies team can beat the Lions by playing with an attacking mindset".

"Robbie Deans' side have played their best when they have that confidence," Gregan wrote. "It is not reckless attack, but when they have got that positive attitude they become a very dangerous team and opposition teams are threatened by it. In contrast, when they go into their shell and try to play a style similar to some other teams that might be a bit more defensive or conservative; they struggle to find any rhythm."

The former half-back noted that Australia's strength lies in the team's attacking players such as Will Genia, James O'Connor, Israel Folau and, if he is selected, Quade Cooper, players who can break open a game given "the current trend in international rugby ... for a conservative, defence-minded game, with some teams content to play for long periods of a game without the ball".

"We need guys like Will Genia playing with the ball in their hands because sooner or later they are going to make the right decision or come up with the correct play, Gregan wrote. "I can also see Quade Cooper playing some role if his form warrants selection. James O'Connor, Berrick Barnes and Christian Lealiifano all have experience of playing at fly-half but Quade is still the specialist No. 10 and facing the Lions for the Queensland Reds will allow him to force his way back into Deans' national team squad."

Gregan believes the series will mirror that of 2001, when the Lions stunned their hosts in the first Test at the 'Gabba in Brisbane before the Wallabies won the next two matches to defeat the tourists for the first time - the series commonly perceived to have swung when Joe Roff intercepted a pass to score a momentum-changing try in the second Test in Melbourne.

"The big danger to the Wallabies team is that first Test," Gregan wrote. "I want to be proved wrong by the boys but I fear it will be a bridge too far for them because they don't have a match before it. The Lions will have had six games prior to that and will be in their stride and raring to go when they get to Brisbane. But I think the Wallabies will bounce back. Time and again this side has shown its resilience. Look at last year when they suffered a lot of injuries but still they managed to compete really well. I can see the series being at 1-1 going into the final Test in Sydney and it will be extremely close, just as it was back in 2001. For me, it will be the same result as well. 2-1 to the Wallabies. But it will be tight."