Johnson: we must create fortress again

MARTIN JOHNSON warned England the time has come to start turning Twickenham into a feared venue once again as they England have lost six of their 13 home Tests since Johnson took charge in the summer of 2008.

When he was a player himself, Twickenham was England’s fortress. Sir Clive Woodward’s side did not lose at home in 22 Tests over four years in the build-up to their 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph.

That aura of invincibility has been lost. Australia will arrive at HQ today having won on their last two visits and England’s recent home record is four defeats in six Tests.

“We want teams to come here and not look forward to playing,” said Johnson.

“You only do that by performance. It doesn’t happen any other way. You have to go and play with intensity and accuracy and make it bloody difficult for them.

“We are expecting a very hard Test match and a tough challenge. We were disappointed with things we did last week (in the 26-16 loss to New Zealand) but it is good to have that as a reference point.”

“The guys were realistic that they hadn’t played well enough for long enough in the game. They had played well in parts but that won’t win you a game against teams of this quality.

“Australia are very dangerous. They are very good at spotting opportunities, mismatches, holes on the inside. We have got to be sharper than we were last week.

“It is that recognition from the players that they need to produce 80 minutes of Test match intensity and execution. Everything is about intensity.

“The pace of it is faster, more powerful, there are heavier tackles and you get less time. You have to get into that mode.”

Meanwhile, England captain Lewis Moody is determined to set the tone for a winter of sporting success against Australia with a timely victory at Twickenham today.

Moody will lead England into battle against the Wallabies less than a fortnight before Andrew Strauss’ England cricketers launch their Ashes defence Down Under.

“I met Strauss and Alastair Cook the other week,” said Moody.

“We had a chat, I wished them the best of luck and I think he (Strauss) took some confidence from the win we had over there in the summer.

“I will be watching intently when they start and tomorrow we will be trying to give them as much confidence as we can.”