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There has been a lot of love online for Census Johnston after veteran prop announces his retirement

By Josh Raisey
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The premature end to the rugby season in France last week has seen another veteran player announce their retirement as Bayonne prop Census Johnston has called an end to his career. The announcement was made on social media on Wednesday on his 38th birthday and he has since received many glowing responses from former team-mates. 

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Having played for Biarritz, Saracens, Toulouse, Racing 92 and Bayonne in a 14-year career in the northern hemisphere, the tighthead has amassed many colleagues over the years. 

It is perhaps his compatriots who have recognised his contribution to his country the most, though. Johnston won 57 caps for Samoa and three more for the Pacific Islands in a career that spanned twelve years between 2005 and 2017 and saw him play in three World Cups.

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In light of his contribution to the international game, Seilala Mapasua said: “What (he has) done for Samoa is equivalent to playing 150 tests for a tier-one nation.” Likewise, Junior Poluleuligaga described him as “one of the greats” for Samoa. 

Taking into consideration the fact that Brian Lima holds Samoa’s caps record with 65, it puts Johnston’s longevity and service into context. 

During his time in France and England, Johnston won a Heineken Cup and multiple Top 14 titles with Toulouse, having spent eight years at the Stade Ernest-Wallon between 2009 and 2017. He had already won the French league with Biarritz during a brief stint in 2006 and featured in a European final with them.

He joined Bayonne this season following two years in Paris with Racing 92, but his spell in the south-west has proven to be his last. He leaves having made an impression on many of the players he has played with during his career. 

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The unfortunate thing for Johnston – and many other players – is that he has been deprived of the chance of a farewell match due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he has plenty of memories across his career to fall back on. 

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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