Johnson wants a do-or-die approach

MARTIN JOHNSON has demanded England treat tomorrow’s showdown with Scotland as a winner-takes-all battle for Rugby World Cup survival.

It certainly will be for Scotland. After losing 13-12 to Argentina, Andy Robinson’s men have to beat the ‘auld enemy’ at Eden Park to stand any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

England can afford to lose the game providing they stay within seven points to earn a bonus point — but Johnson has punctured any notion of a safety cushion. The England manager, who has recalled Delon Armitage, Courtney Lawes and Matt Stevens into the starting line-up, insisted his men approach the game as a do-or-die encounter. Victory will ensure England top Pool B and face a probable quarter-final against France, rather than hosts and favourites New Zealand.