Grunts, growls and scowls

ENGLAND have already been slapped on the wrist by the IRB for Brian Smith’s criticisms of one referee but Martin Johnson doesn’t expect the episode to have any bearing on how today’s game at Croke Park is officiated.

The attack coach’s complaints about Jonathan Kaplan’s performance in Cardiff a fortnight ago prompted the game’s governing body into a public rebuke of the Australian.

Johnson met with today’s referee, Craig Joubert, the same day and declared himself to be happy with their discussions. Asked if he expected any further backlash from his lieutenant’s remarks, his reply was a terse ‘no’.

“We said what we said, (the IRB) said what they said. It’s time to play the game. We met the referee, had a perfectly good meeting with him and now we’re looking forward to the game. You’re always going to get ones that go against you, that you can argue against. That’s part of the game, it’s a difficult area for the referee. We need to do everything in our power to be as clean as we can there.”

England have picked up eight yellow cards in their last four games even if Johnson made the point that Ireland conceded as many penalties against Italy as England did in Cardiff. The issue, he said earlier this week, is one of perception.

His tone was somewhat different yesterday. More ‘mea culpa’.

“The perception problem is that all week we’ve been talking about penalties and, until we stop it, we’ll spend all week talking about penalties.”

Dressed in sweats and trainers at yesterday’s briefing, and with one arm draped nonchalantly over an adjoining chair, Johnson appeared on the surface to be a man without a care in the world. There was even the occasional smile or light chuckle but there were moments of bullishness and tetchiness too, particularly when 2003’s ‘Carpetgate’ affair was brought up again.

Johnson addressed the issue in his autobiography back in 2003 when he claimed his decision to line up on the Irish side of the red carpet was a mistake. He took umbrage at any other interpretation.

“You’re asking me did I lie in my book?” he said to one English reporter who refused to let the matter rest. “Why would it have changed? Do I suddenly think, ‘oh actually it wasn’t that’?”

Press conferences held 24 hours before games are routinely, well, routine, but a half hour spent with Team England yesterday was unusually rewarding.

Entertaining too. There was plenty to discuss — drugs, coffee shops and 2007 were other matters high on the agenda.

An innocent statement about how this was his first trip to Dublin as an underdog was dismissed with little more than a growl.

A similar ‘reply’ was proffered when he was asked for the squad’s reaction to Matt Steven’s two-year ban on Thursday for cocaine use. It was left to the prop’s Bath teammate, Lee Mears, to elaborate on that.

“Matt has got my full support. He and I both knew weeks ago that he was going to be banned for two years and we discussed it then. He will come back a lot stronger from it.”

Mears and Stevens are opening a coffee shop in Bath in the coming months but the hooker believes his friend and soon-to-be business partner will be able to return to rugby’s top table once his punishment is over.

“It’s going to be tough and he knows that. That is one of the big shocks but I also know full well that I am packing down in a scrum with Julian White and Phil Vickery who are on the other side of 30 now.

“When Matt comes back he will be 28 and, if anything, it will make him hungrier. In terms of him getting back into the England stage, that is a long way off. He will come back to enjoying his rugby, in Bath if they will have him, or wherever he goes.”

So, what about the game itself? Johnson highlighted the optimism surrounding the home team when he remarked that England’s welcome in Dublin had almost been ‘too friendly’. Beware Romans bearing gifts, and all that.

“The last couple of weeks have pretty much told us where we are as well,” said Mears. “We always knew we would have to prepare hard to beat anyone in the championship.

“We lost against Wales. Now we are looking to get back in the tournament. We know we are moving in the right direction. I don’t know if this game is defining but it will give us another indication as to how we are getting on.”