Johnson excited by the challenge ahead

Martin Johnson, England's new Team Manager, has revealed he is excited by the challenge that lies ahead, despite having no coaching experience.

Martin Johnson, England's new Team Manager, has revealed he is excited by the challenge that lies ahead, despite having no coaching experience.

Having led England to the World Cup in 2003, as well as captaining the British and Irish Lions on two tours, Johnson has worked exclusively in ambassadorial and media roles since retiring in 2005.

Yet despite this lack of experience, an area of concern for many people, Johnson is adamant he can change England's fortunes.

“I have no coaching experience but I have got a lot of experience in rugby union in the last 16 years,” he said.

“This game is always about players – it is not about the ego of coaches.”

And Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Francis Baron believes they have got the right man, despite his lack of coaching credentials.

“Nothing is risk-free in life,” Baron said.

“No-one fills 100 per cent of the requirements of a job from day one but I don't believe this is a gamble at all. It's the right decision.

“What he brings is leadership, presence, knowledge of the game and all the wealth of his playing experience to the table.

“In the next year to eighteen months, you'll find Martin will grow into all aspects of the job.”

Johnson was officially unveiled as Team Manager earlier this week, although his appointment was the worst kept secret of the year. He will start his role in July 1 of this year and his contract runs until the end of 2011.

The 38-year-old, regarded as one of the best players England have produced, will have full control of team selection and the appointment of the coaching team.

Johnson is the only man to skipper the British and Irish Lions twice and won 84 England caps – 39 of which were as captain.

He was appointed Leicester skipper in 1997 and led the Tigers to four straight Premiership titles between 1999 and 2002 as well as successive Heineken Cup triumphs in 2001 and 2002.

And after having a break from the game since 2005, Johnson says he is refreshed and ready for the job.

“I come into this with my eyes open,” he added.

“I am fully aware of perceptions of me as a player and, since I retired, people have been asking when am I going to come back.

“It's been good to have a couple of years out to refresh the enthusiasm and now it is a hugely exciting time to be involved.

“There is every possibility we can be beating most teams around the world and I am delighted to be in the job and I thoroughly understand the responsibilities.

“It's a hugely exciting team to be involved with and I am really looking forward to getting on with the job and getting England performing at the level I think we should be at.

“I think we have some good young guys who can take this team to some good places.

“It is about creating the environment where these guys can thrive and play and we can get the best out of them. It is about team culture, that gets them through the tough games.

“I think I can be a part of that. It's a little bit difficult with the profile I have maybe, but it's about the players and giving them every opportunity to succeed.”

And the RFU have insisted that Johnson will given the financial clout he needs to impose his vision on the national team.

“The current budget for the England team is 76 per cent higher than it was under Sir Clive Woodward (England's World Cup winning coach),” Baron said.

“We have never, ever lost matches or failed in tournaments through lack of budget.

“Martin will have the budget he needs to deliver what he needs to do to take England back to the top.”

Johnson will miss England's two-Test tour to New Zealand in June as his wife Kay is expecting their second child.

And the former second-rower admitted he “consulted over this decision more than any other in my life”.

“When I retired from the game, the right thing for me was to step back and let other people get on with the job. The last year or so, I started to feel that I wanted to get involved.

“I spoke to a lot of people and received a lot of advice. A lot of people said 'you don't want to ruin your reputation' but I am not worried about that – you do the job for the right reasons.

“It's the same when you play. You are not worried about your reputation. Of course you want people to think well of you but you are not in it for the ego or for the finance – it's to do this job well and for the England team to be successful.”