Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'We won one, but I lost two and it's horrific and terrible'

By Online Editors
Martin Johnson

World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson believes this England squad have their best rugby ahead and urged them not to dwell on their Rugby World Cup final heartache.

ADVERTISEMENT

South Africa lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy in Yokohama after a 32-12 win over Eddie Jones’ men.

England were favourites heading into the final after a stunning last-four victory against New Zealand, who had won the 2011 and 2015 editions.

It means Clive Woodward’s team from 16 years ago – captained by Johnson – remain the only northern hemisphere side to have won the World Cup, but the 49-year-old believes the nation should not feel all doom and gloom.

“Sometimes you need a little bit of time to reflect after a World Cup and for the players hopefully a lot of them will be there in four years time and get another shot at it,” Johnson told the PA news agency.

Video Spacer

“I am sure they probably won’t over analyse it because they go straight back into playing when they get home.

“This team hopefully has its best rugby ahead, not behind it. For someone to beat the All Blacks, they were going to have to play very well and England did that, but South Africa played their best game to beat England.

“I felt for the boys, I felt for the fans, but that is the nature of it. You have to be there in the last game and grab it and we didn’t quite do it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Johnson knows how it feels to lose at the World Cup to South Africa, after England were knocked out of the 1999 tournament following a quarter-final defeat to the Springboks.

He conceded it is not talked about often – given the former Leicester lock guided his country to success in Australia four years later – but warned Owen Farrell’s squad this feeling will hurt for a while.

“We won one, but I lost two and it’s horrific and terrible. The 1999 one was hard because we felt we hadn’t played as well as we could and we lost to South Africa, like these boys in a slightly different way,” Johnson said.

“We felt we hadn’t landed our punches and it was gutting. It was deeply gutting for a long time and it took a little bit of time to fully get over, but when we got back together as an England team and winning again and playing well, that is the remedy.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I don’t think sitting around too long and thinking about what could have been does you any good. It’s probably not that healthy.”

The next opportunity for this England team to win silverware will be in February in the Guinness Six Nations.

Jones, who has a contract with the Rugby Football Union until 2021, will be the man in charge for the opener in France and Johnson feels the Australian should stay as head coach for now.

“He will be gutted and I felt for him. Eddie gets a mixed press, but ultimately he is a guy who has coached teams to World Cup finals, but has not won it as a head coach,” the 49-year-old said.

“I did feel for him as I did for everyone in English rugby and they will need to rebound. They will need to get together.

“You crack on and Eddie will be there for the Six Nations and there is nothing like the intense local rivalry of that tournament to get you back on track.”

Former England head coach Johnson praised Farrell ahead of Saturday’s final and is sure he and many others will be better players for the experience in Japan.

He now called for more talented youngsters to be blooded over the next four years before France 2023.

Johnson added: “Hopefully most of the players will still be there and in the next two or three years we can find more young guys like Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Kyle Sinckler, who came in after the last World Cup because you always need the next generation coming through.

“The current guys have now got some experience and Farrell too, two tournaments and a final so they have played in the biggest game there is.

“Experience is a great thing and hopefully they improve. You should be a better player when you have 50 caps compared to when you had 10.

“As long as you are physically holding up, you should use that experience to be better and then you go back to confidence and you learn to deal with those situations and those pressures.

“We had the burden of expectation, which is a big one because as soon as you are the underdog it makes it easier.

“South Africa had the underdog tag. Everyone was telling them they would get beaten heavily and it’s such fantastic motivation to be written off.”

Martin Johnson was speaking at the launch of UNTUCKit, who design shirts specifically to be worn untucked – www.untuckit.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Dean Richards set for return to rugby management Dean Richards set for return to rugby management
Search