ENGLAND

England set for Johnson crackdown

Tuesday 01st July 2008

No more: Johnson to address discipline issues

Martin Johnson has vowed to crack down on ill-discipline as he attempts to deal with the fall-out of England's disastrous tour of New Zealand.

Four members of the touring squad are under investigation both by Auckland police and the Rugby Football Union after an allegation of rape and/or sexual assault was made against them.

All four players deny any wrong-doing, and no formal complaint has been made to the police - but the whole episode has forced Johnson and the RFU to address player conduct as a matter of urgency.

England's players were also criticised for enjoying a night on the town in Auckland hours after they had suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test against the All Blacks.

On his first official day as England's new Team Manager, Johnson warned discipline is right at the top of his agenda.

"The allegations made against the England team were serious - we can't have that for our players, for our team, for our sport," he said.

"It is not what we are about. The England team has never had it before - and we should never have it again."

All players contracted to England - both in the senior squad and with the Saxons - will have to abide by a newly-drafted code of conduct.

Johnson, who missed the tour for the birth of his second child, will lay down the law when England's new 32-man squad congregate for a five-day training camp in August.

England's 2003 World Cup-winning captain will detail from personal experience how vital it is to foster the right culture in his new-look squad.

"When the players come together in August, in the light of what has happened, it is something that is pretty much top of the agenda," said Johnson.

"If all players in English, British rugby haven't learned a lesson from what's gone on they will never learn a lesson.

"It is a balance of enjoying being a rugby player on tour with the obligations to the team, to the performance and not getting into situations where serious accusations can be made.

"We will address the issues. The behaviour things we are talking about - the late nights and females in hotels - are important.

"There are certain things that will be non-negotiable, but there are other things you want the players to agree with and want themselves.

"You can write down a code of conduct on a piece of paper, but the guys need to have a set of behaviours they adhere to within a team.

"The successful teams I played in all had a culture that was based around the characters who were there.

"We need to get to that point. This team needs to find its own culture and its way of operating in the modern rugby world, which has been changing for the last few years.

"We saw that with Danny Cipriani getting photographed during the Six Nations. The guys have to understand their responsibilities and how to handle being an international sportsman, an international rugby player."

England's Elite Rugby Director Rob Andrew hopes to have some 'closure' on the whole New Zealand issue by the start of next week at the latest.

Johnson selected the two England squads on merit, although he can make changes for disciplinary reasons if required.

"For disciplinary reasons, players can come out of that squad. We can't pre-judge the inquiry, so we have to pick those guys on their rugby merits," he said.

"We have picked 64 guys who all have good characters. That comes into it - you need guys who have strong characters who can stand up to the pressure of playing international rugby."

And Johnson will look towards his senior players to perform a vital role in creating the right environment for the youngsters coming into a squad.

He named four uncapped players in his first senior 32, plus a host of inexperienced players. But he has recalled the experience of Josh Lewsey - while Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Moody, Phil Vickery and Simon Shaw all return after missing the tour through injury.

"Senior players lead the team in many ways, on and off the field. Attitude is everything," he said.

"What happens off the field is so important to what happens on the pitch in terms of the culture of a side - it's toughness and resilience.

"The senior guys are a huge part of that. For a youngster coming into the team, do you read the code of conduct or do you follow the example being set by the older guys?

"You can have a code of conduct on a piece of paper - but whenever I was in a successful team that had one, we never actually had to read it. It just became part of the culture of the side."