Krige condemns 'dirty' Johnson

South Africa captain Corne Krige has labelled England’s Martin Johnson as “one of the dirtiest captains in world rugby”.

Krige lashed out at the England skipper on the eve of South Africa’s departure for the World Cup in Australia, where the two teams will meet in a decisive clash in the group stages.

Analysing the Springboks’ 53-3 defeat by England at Twickenham last November when he was criticised for his decision-making and involvement in two unsavoury incidents, Krige insisted he had apologised to “the people that I needed to”.

But he then said: “Anyway, Martin Johnson is one of the dirtiest captains in world rugby.

“He is a good player and he gets his team behind him. For that you have to respect him.”