I'm only human, says Johnson, the new master of Twickenham as he starts quest to turn England into world beaters

13 April 2012

Martin Johnson confessed to one fear at Twickenham yesterday just as his boss Francis Baron confessed to mistakes over the ousting of his predecessor Brian Ashton.

New manager-coach Johnson said: "It is not a fear of losing my reputation. It is a fear of doing the job badly. This is not ego-driven or money-driven. I never got carried away with iconic status.

Master of his new Twickenham domain: Martin Johnson

"I was, and most definitely still am, human. I've refreshed myself in my time away from the game and now I'm looking forward to getting England performing at the level where there is every possibility of beating the best in the world.

"This is a new era and these are tremendously exciting times in English rugby with lots of outstanding young players coming through."

RFU director of elite rugby Rob Andrew yesterday defended his role in the ousting of Johnson's predecessor Brian Ashton, who is interested in a position with the academy.

He said: "I am confident and comfortable that I kept Brian informed of the process going through."

But chief executive Baron said: "We accept in some respects that the RFU could have handled the process better. Brian has had a very difficult time."

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