England`s Johnson Faces Test Of His Leadership

Johnson`s captaincy culminated in a Six Nations grand slam, total dominance over the southern hemisphere and the 2003 World Cup.

A decade after his appointment as captain took England into the most dominant period in their history, Martin Johnson is the team's manager and is once again crucial to the nation's hopes.

Johnson's captaincy culminated in a Six Nations grand slam, total dominance over the southern hemisphere and the 2003 World Cup.

The task he took on last July seems harder. Although England defied the odds to reach the 2007 final against South Africa, their results have been on the wane since they claimed their first William Webb Ellis Cup.

Last year, the team faced controversies including a police investigation into allegations of sexual assault by four players during the tour of New Zealand and Danny Cipriani's omission from the Six Nations team to face Scotland for staying out late.

Already this year, the team have had to cope with prop Matt Stevens's positive test for a recreational drug and Mike Tindall's three-year drink-driving ban.

Yet there is room for optimism, say the World Cup-winning duo of prop Phil Vickery and centre Tindall, both rewarded for their fine form by being named in Johnson's starting team to face Italy in the opening Six Nations match on Saturday.

"It's very early stages for this England team but when I look at the side for this weekend I'm excited," the 32-year-old Vickery told Reuters at England's training base outside London.

Tindall recognises the qualities of Johnson's leadership from his playing days.

"He's got the right life experience," said the 56-cap centre.

"Obviously he's not very experienced as a coach but he's got that honesty factor, he's been there and done it and he's got the ultimate respect of the players."

PLAYERS' CHALLENGE

Having their respect is one thing, but Johnson, 38, must get the players buzzing again, something that Clive Woodward, England's coach from 1997 to 2004, achieved.

Vickery and Tindall feel the current crop of players do not always display the requisite hunger and desire.

"When you look at some of these guys playing for their clubs you want them to take that form to the field with an England shirt on," said Vickery, a former captain who always plays with pride and total commitment.

"There might be slightly different systems but they're picked in the team for what they do at their clubs, so they should come here and do it."

"We're not in the situation you usually expect English rugby to be in and we've got to get back there," the 30-year-old Tindall said.

"That's the challenge to the players and one you should be able to get up for quite easily."

Nevertheless, it will be a stiff task for the side to replicate the success of Woodward's team between the start of the decade and the end of 2003, when rivals were routinely sent packing from Twickenham and all the Tri-Nations teams were beaten on their own patches.

Since 2004 the team's record at Twickenham has been abysmal in comparison and the most recent home losses include record maulings by South Africa and New Zealand, plus a second-worst home defeat by Australia.

Assistant coach Graham Rowntree, another to have experienced the good times under Woodward, does not believe in dragging up the past.

"I'm not going to be one of these guys who says: `In my day we used to do this or we used to do that.' You sort of stop coaching if you're like that," he said.

NEW SETUP

"It's evolution and it's how we harness the beliefs that we want to get across to the lads without holding them back. We don't want to shackle them with how we were."

Tindall believes it is time for England to snap out of their five-year hibernation.

"We're running out of time to keep saying it's a new setup and it's down to us to make sure we get that right," he said.

Johnson feels that the recent controversies will be long forgotten once the rugby improves.

"People always harp on about off-field things and if your form dips they'll use that as a reason for it. If you're playing well they don't," he said.

Vickery, who like Johnson started his career in the amateur days, thinks the new breed of players will learn to cope with their responsibilities as they cement themselves in the team.

"The negative publicity isn't tarnishing. Times change. Lifestyles change," he said.

"You can't keep going back and comparing life in the old days, where you had to worry about paying this and that and you had a cow and half a dozen chickens. Things move on."