Johnson ready for tough showdown
England captain Martin Johnson today warned his team will have to beat a better Irish side than the one which denied them the Grand Slam in Dublin two years ago if they are to make amends for their recent disappointments.
Johnson played in the last Grand Slam-winning side in 1995 – but since then England have fallen at the final hurdle three times, most recently at Lansdowne Road in 2001.
Coach Clive Woodward has highlighted the fact that this crop of players, currently rated the top team in the world, deserve a Grand Slam to mark the achievements of recent years.
But Johnson said: “I don’t think we are owed anything. We probably should have won one, but you don’t get them handed to you.”
The giant Leicester lock acknowledges the pressure England are under – but he claims the Irish side will carry even greater expectations as they attempt to deliver only their second ever Grand Slam 55 years after securing their first.
“There’s pressure on them as well as on us. They’re at home trying to win a Grand Slam for the first time in however many years, while we are trying to win one again after slipping up in the last three or four years.
“It’s going to be a hell of a struggle on Sunday to win. I think this is the best Ireland team we have ever played against, in terms of being consistent and winning games.
“We are not expecting them to play with anything other than the commitment and the skill they have played with all season. We don’t expect them to freeze or to let the pressure get to them.
“If anything we expect it to be the other way round. We expect them to be the most energetic and enthusiastic they have been all season – but we also plan to be like that,” said the England captain.
Johnson accepts Ireland have two advantages over his side – they have had more rest between Six Nations matches and they are playing at home.
“They have played a lot less rugby than us. Most of the Irish-based players don’t play between internationals. They have stayed in training camp as well,” he said.
During the two-week break between the internationals, most of the English players played club matches. Johnson turned out for Leicester at Newcastle and in the Powergen Cup semi-final defeat by Gloucester – and he pointed out: “They were both taut matches.”
But he is certainly not looking for any excuses for the big showdown.
“They have that as an advantage, but it doesn’t count for anything once you are on the field. You just have to deal with what you get and play it accordingly.”
He has no fears of playing in the close confines of the old Lansdowne Road ground either.
“I think it’s a great stadium because it’s got that little bit of individuality – it’s very personal. It’s not a big concrete impersonal stadium like a lot of other stadiums tend to be. It’s a great place to go and play rugby.”
That is all England want to do.
“The guys have been in camp for five weeks out of the last seven, and we just want to get over there and get on with it,” added Johnson.
“A lot of talking has been done and analysis which needs to be done, but now we just want to play.
“We know what’s happened the last three or four years and we are determined not to let it happen again. It’s as simple as that.”
Johnson admits England have Grand Slam ghosts to lay.
He said: “It’s been disappointing, and I’m sure everyone’s disappointed. I’m sure the fans are, and we just want to put it right. But generally in rugby you get what you deserve.
“We are away from home in a hostile environment, and it’s a very good team we are playing against. If we don’t play well they could not only beat us but beat us well. We’ve got to produce something of the order of what we’ve produced all season.
“There’s no magic little button you press – it’s just hard work. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, and it would be great to do it in World Cup year to go as European champions.
“We have won a large percentage of games in the Six Nations – but we haven’t won a Grand Slam.
“We’re not complaining about it. No one’s going to give you it, and this is probably the toughest of all the games we’ve been involved in to win one.
“Ireland are a better team than when they beat us in 2001 and they have a great chance to do something they have not done for a very long time. That’s the challenge for us.”
