Johnson: England must win crowd over

MARTIN JOHNSON has urged England to win back the faith of the Twickenham crowd with a ferocious start and victorious finish to tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with France.

When Johnson was captain, England transformed Twickenham into a fortress with an unbeaten run of 22 home games that stretched between the 1999 World Cup and their triumph in 2003.

But England have won just 55% of their home internationals — 16 from 29 Tests — since Johnson retired as captain after lifting the Webb Ellis trophy.