Martin Johnson says England’s World Cup draw ‘dangerous’

Hawk-Eye will be used in the Rugby World Cup, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Having captained the British and Irish Lions when a Jeremy Guscott drop goal clinched the series in South Africa in 1997; and played in the 1995 World Cup quarter-final when Rob Andrew’s beat Australia, Johnson is, unsurprisingly, unapologetic about “resorting” to that route, despite often widespread derision from some in the southern hemisphere.

Rugby fan Nathan Ryan Turner, 16, from Gateshead, who plays for Gateshead Rugby team, Gateshead Storm and North East Thunder was thrilled to get his England shirt. “We’re both huge fans and can’t wait for the world cup”.

“It’s not as settled a team as Stuart Lancaster would have probably liked, but that’s how it’s been for England coaches for the last 12 years”. I could have written 85,000 words about that alone but I also needed to carry on from where my last autobiography – Size Doesn’t Matter – left off after Leicester’s Heineken Cup final success against Stade Francais in 2001. “It’s something I’m really looking forward to”, he told World Rugby TV.

Ronan Dunne, chief executive of O2, added: “We’re calling upon the country to get behind the England Rugby Team, and how better to do that than wear the symbol sewn onto the chest of every England shirt – the red rose”.

“For me, in a way, I look at it like I’m putting Fiji on the map”.

Back is now enjoying spending more time with his family than ever before and watching his children Finley, 12, and Olivia, 15, show early signs of promise in football and hockey respectively.

Australia will arrive as newly-crowned Rugby Championship winners and have not lost in 10 games to Wales. “I love going out there knowing that I am representing Fiji”.

Not wanting to dwell too much on the toughest of times, Back is keen to reflect on two particular moments in a career that saw him become one of the most decorated players in England and Leicester Tigers history. “The medical staff can then, if they see an incident involving a head injury, assess what the protocol should be in terms of whether they should get the player off or not”.

“It will be tough to get the final squad down to 31, but it will be very strong and we will need everybody through a seven-week tournament”. It just wouldn’t happen today and was an unforgettable moment.

Order your copy of “The Death of Rugby” on Amazon today which also features contributions from Sir Clive Woodward, Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill.