Baptism of fire for Johnson

Martin Johnson faces possibly the three most difficult matches that any England head coach has had to start with, as he prepares to go head to head with the Pacific Islands, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in his first four games in charge.

However, Johnson is fully aware of the challenge that lays ahead and is relishing the opportunity to improve performances.

He commented, “It’s probably the toughest set of Test matches that any team I’ve ever been involved in has ever played. That’s the challenge in front of us and there’s no point trying to shirk it - it’s going to happen and we have to be ready.”