Was Martin Johnson a rugby thug or just an overly aggressive player? He was a good man to have on your side, as he was not intimidated and knew how to survive on the brutal grounds of international rugby.
He looked the part too, with that craggy face and alien like brow. In fact, his teammates nicknamed him “Ferengi” after the alien race from Star Trek!
Respected Australian coach Rod Macqueen summed him up; “He was an intimidating character, but probably took that too far.” Johnson’s teammate Jonny Wilkinson said “He stood up against any intimidation.”
Johnson spent two seasons in New Zealand from 1989 playing for King Country, after being invited by a likeminded player in Colin Meads. Surprisingly, he was selected for the NZ under-21s and played an Australian team featuring another legend, John Eales. Eales commented that he noticed a “skinny white kid opposite him, who could not do the haka for nuts!”
“Martin Johnson’s Māori team-mates used to call him ‘lovely boy’ after the character La-dee-da Gunner Graham, an effete aesthete in the Seventies sitcom ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’. Out in the King Country the 19-year-old Johnson was as rugged as a fairy cake. He also had shorts with pockets that had a white handkerchief in one of them,” The Telegraph 2011.
So, did the King Country and New Zealand transform Johnson into the intimidating character to be? If Meads was his mentor, then I would say the answer is in the affirmative. In his future career he showed the ability to take a punch without flinching and evidence of him dishing it out was well documented.
English captain Martin Johnson holds the Webb Ellis Cup aloft in 2003. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)
Martin Johnson makes it into our favourites team to partner Willie John McBride in the international XV, excluding players from New Zealand and Australia. His competition came from Fabien Pelous, Abdelatif Benazzi and Victor Matfield. But his unwillingness to back down, ability to inspire a team and his leadership made him an automatic choice.
Martin Osborne Johnson was born in 1970 in Solihull, Warwickshire England and is the second of three brothers. After being noticed through age-group sides the 6ft 7” lock was due to play for the England A side but was diverted to Twickenham to play for the top England team.
With little preparation, he acquitted himself well then replaced Wade Dooley on the 1993 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Dooley had returned to England for his father’s funeral and was astonishingly not allowed to rejoin the team, ending his rugby career.
Johnson then made the Lions tour to South Africa in 1997 which became a highlight of his career. Head coach Sir Ian McGeechan wanted a tall leader to stand over Springbok skipper Gary Teichmann and a forward who could stand the onslaught of the Springboks and therefore named Johnson.
The selection was only confirmed after manager Fran Cotton visited Johnson’s mother, who honestly appraised her son with suitability for the job of captain.
His selection as skipper still came as a surprise to many. The victorious squad won the series 2-1, with the key being the management team of McGeechan, Cotton, Jim Telfer and Johnson, creating an environment of confidence and support for the players. Johnson was awarded the OBE for his success in South Africa.
Martin Johnson wins a lineout for the British and Irish Lions. (Photo: Nick Wilson/ALLSPORT)
Johnson then became the first player to captain the Lions twice when he led them to Australia in 2001, a series they lost 2-1. Amends were made in 2003 when England won the Rugby World Cup in Australia, beating Australia in the final with a last-minute drop goal to Jonny Wilkinson.
Johnson had been named England captain in 1999, also taking them to five Six Nations Championships. He was awarded the CBE after the World Cup triumph, reward for his tenacious lineout and forward exchanges.
In 2005 Johnson organised his farewell to rugby in a testimonial match against a Jonah Lomu XV at Twickenham. He knew it was the right time to retire and not selfishly play for himself, as training and preparation for match day were losing their lustre.
Johnson made eighty-four appearances for his country, captaining the side on thirty-nine occasions. For the Lions he made eight Test appearances. “His ability to read a game whilst it unfolded, communicating to team-mates the course of action most likely to bring a try two or three phases down the line, was remarkable. His rugby brain was a huge component in making him a great captain,” said long-time Tigers team-mate Geordan Murphy.
With no coaching experience Johnson became the England manager from 2008 to 2011 and won the Six Nations in 2011. He resigned after England’s dismal performance at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Interestingly from 2008 to 2011 England played New Zealand five times for five losses.
As a player, Johnson became quite familiar with appearances before the RFU for violent conduct and then being suspended. On at least two occasions he was banned for rough conduct and punching opposing players, he also received the yellow card for stomping on John Leslie’s throat in a match at Twickenham. He was not backward in unleashing his fists!
“His physical presence as a lock but also his mental presence, his ability to control the ebb and flow of a game, to intimidate not only opponents but his own players with a look or a word,” wrote David Hands.
Martin Johnson is one of the greatest rugby locks of our time and one who would make it onto most best ever lists. John Eales commented that Johnson’s game at the 2003 RWC “was among the best ever by a lock forward.”
Would you rather have him on your side?
Martin Osborne Johnson, joins our favourites team.
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