&sq=&lang=&file=File:Martin_Johnson_2015.JPG) Martin Johnson (2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Martin Osborne Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 9 March 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Solihull, Warwickshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 18 st 9 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Will Johnson (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Martin Osborne Johnson CBE (born 9 March 1970)[1] is an English retired rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester in a career spanning 16 seasons. He captained England to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and is regarded as one of the greatest locks ever to have played,[2][3][4] and one of England's greatest ever players.[5][6]
Johnson made his debut for Leicester Tigers in 1989 and in 1993 debuted for England as well as being a late call up to the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand. He was a try scorer in the final when Leicester won the 1993 Pilkington Cup and a member of the side which won the 1994-95 Courage League. Johnson was an ever-present as England won the Grand Slam in the 1995 Five Nations Championship. In 1997 he was named as captain for the victorious British Lions tour to South Africa, in 2001 he became the first man to captain the Lions twice as he led the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
He became England captain in 1999 and led the side in 39 matches, the third most ever.[7] He was captain as England reached the quarter finals of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, won the Grand Slam in the 2003 Six Nations Championship and as England won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The 2003 Rugby World Cup Final was his 84th and final international match.
During his club career he played 362 games for Leicester, his only senior club, and as well as the cup in 1993 and the league in 1995, he was also captain of the side as they won the 1997 Pilkington Cup and four consecutive Premiership titles between 1999–2002, and became the first side to retain the European Cup, winning in 2001 and 2002. His final season was in 2004–05.
On 1 July 2008 he became the England team manager.[8] Under his management England won the 2011 Six Nations Championship, their first since 2003. He left the post in November 2011 following England's quarter final defeat at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and has not taken another management position in the game since.
- ^ "ESPN profile". ESPN. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ Team of the Pro Era Archived 5 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Planet Rugby 5 October 2009
- ^ "The greatest second-rows of all time: Martin Johnson". Rugby World. 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Martin Johnson profile from ESPNscrum". ESPNscrum. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ "Martin Johnson: Six of the best". BBC. 15 May 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "Martin Johnson lauded as greatest England player but ultimately he 'didn't have the CV' for manager's job". The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Matches as England captain". ESPN. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ Johnson named as England supremo BBC Sport, 16 April 2008