Johnson still has a say in the Slam

Martin Johnson rejoined the England squad last night to lend his formidable presence to the Grand Slam cause in a non-playing capacity.

The injured captain, whose broken left hand forces him to miss a second successive championship finale, flew to Dublin at Clive Woodward's invitation in a bid to boost morale. He is expected to deliver a high-intensity pep talk to the players tonight, or possibly even before the 3pm kick-off tomorrow. Woodward said: 'Matt Dawson and Neil Back, as captain and vice-captain, have set the tone for the week but Johnno is an inspirational figure and it's great to have him involved.'

The England manager, who might easily have been going for his third Slam in a row instead of still waiting for his first, has also asked the two other injured Lions, Phil Vickery and Lawrence Dallaglio, to join the 22 chosen for tomorrow's final hurdle.

Jason Leonard, whose 92nd cap puts him joint fourth with former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick on the most-prolific internationals list - headed by Philippe Sella (111), David Campese (101) and Serge Blanco (93) - knows from past experience that tomorrow could bring much pain.

The fact that Keith Wood, his close neighbour, good friend and Harlequins colleague, is playing on the opposite side ensures that the former carpenter will be watching his step.

Leonard said: 'Three years ago I was lying on the ground and it felt as though the entire Irish pack was giving me a fearful kicking. Fair enough, I was lying in the wrong place so I deserved it. But as they trampled over me, I looked up - and Woody gave me a wink.Then he said to the referee:"Don't worry, ref. He's a big lad, he can take it!"' Behind the scrum the match pits another pair of club partners in direct conflict, Mike Catt and his Bath teammate, Ireland's Kevin Maggs. Maggs said: 'Mike's got a great all-round game and this will be the first time I've played against him in the centre.

'He will be a big threat to us, as will the other Bath players. Hopefully, I'll be able to hit a few of them.' Ireland, not exactly heartbroken at the prospect of seeing England's most commanding figure Johnson stuck on the wrong side of the touchline, confirmed yesterday that flanker David Wallace - their outstanding player in the crushing of Wales - had removed any lingering doubts over his fitness.

On a more frivolous note, the Irish also revealed that they have manufactured 10,000 Keith Wood masks for distribution at Lansdowne Road before the Six Nations decider.

An Irish RFU spokesman said: 'We haven't done anything like this before but there's a first time for everything. We think it's a good way of allowing Irish supporters to create a real spirit of unity for Keith and the team.'

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