I couldn’t have asked for more, says Johnson

MARTIN JOHNSON may not be rugby’s most affable personality but you have to admire and respect him as one of the game’s great players.

Having led his Tigers to a magnificent win over Leinster, Johnson brought his players around the pitch, “not because I was emotional or that it was a lap of honour”, he stressed, but “as a thank you to the fans who would have been justified in not bothering to come here after how badly we let them down last week against Leeds.”

A mighty warrior by any standards, Johnson turned 35 three weeks ago and intends to stand by his decision to quit the game at the end of the season. He enthused: “Occasions like this are great, coming to Lansdowne Road and putting on a display like that. It was like a Test match atmosphere. It’s been a great European Cup weekend and hopefully the semi-finals will be even better.”