Played against him many times when he played club rugby here in New Zealand 1990-1991 he made the king country team New Zealand colts hard bugga and a mate you just knew he was gonna make the big time I remember feeling so happy for him when they won the world cup in 03 good on ya bro

Best England captain ever, fantastic player and person, my personal favourite along with the likes of Alun wyn jones👏👏👏👏👏🏆🏉

i read his autobiography,he 'is' definitely a legend and a gent and good fun and smart! im irish

Im irish. i hate Johnson (on the field). but my god i totally respect him. great player, not the best there has been but great no doubt. perhaps one of the best captains there has ever been, of any country. Off the field i think he has been always a gent. seems to me that people always have bitterness when there is a player on the pitch who is so good you want him on ur side but hey thats life. i always hated but respected Johnson and that will never change. Signed. An Irish Man. ;-)

Martin Johnson was awesome and those that have put negative comments I think would be no where near his confidence levels we can all be virtual warriors on a keyboard and by the way England won world cup and also all the negativity and jealousy is weakness leaving the body..!

Has there been a better Rugby Lock in history? I doubt it. If you were in Hell, and needed to play to get out of there, Johnson is your captain. No ifs or buts.

Legend that is all

Damn Right! Having Johnno on the pitch was as good as 2 or 3 extra blokes, he got that much more out of his team just by his presence on the field.

18 stone 7”lbs and 6 feet 7 inches of absolute commitment. If you were going to war, you would love to have Johno by your side. Smart, cunning, played just over the legal boundary, just like Richie McCaw. And just like Richie knew how to motivate a team. Saw his final game at Tigers, the crowd nearly lifted the roof off when he came onto the pitch! What an inspiring tough competitor.

A quiet Charismatic Leader . Serious,straight,and a smart gentleman

@jrfkingsgate I always admired him. Great player !.

Martin is the best rugby player to walk this Earth! Wilkinson didn't win us the World Cup in 2003 for us, Johnson did! He is the most influencial player in World Rugby! He demanded respect form everyone, player or supporter. You didn't have to like him, but you had to respect him for what he achieved in the greatest game in the world!

John Eales, my favourite rugby player.

His time spent playing in new Zealand helped his playing and coaching career take note northern hemisphere players

best man x

Hero.

Course he is love, that's why he put the wind up your lot at Croke Park in '03. We'd won that game before the kick off, the little game Johnno played by standing in the wrong place psyched the Irish team out before the whistle blew. Not bad for a thick bloke!

Steve Waugh said to Matthew Hayden, if you start to think about retiring, you've already retired...........fair play Jonno :0)

Leader

John Eales and Martin Johnson are my ultimate locks although Brodie Retallick is hard on their heels.

Johnson and Eales were completely different players. Johno was a 4 enforcer and Eales was an 5 athletic line out merchent and handler. You'd be better to compare Johnson to people like Robin Brooke, Bakkies Botha and Fabien Pelous. Eales could be compared to Ian Jones, Mark Andrews and Victor Matfield... :)

Not that strange. In that era of rugby you could get a full cap for a country and then play for another one. He went over to New Zeland, got a few U21 caps and then came back because he wanted to represent England

Saying Martin Johnson is this or that is all just a matter of opinion. As far as all time Locks are concerned, your looking a combination from.... Johnson, Eales, Brooke, Botha, Matfield, Pelous, Dooley, Jones, Jack, Andrews etc etc

6ft 7 MASSIVE

@stevenbissett nothing to do with the fact that his wife was expecting a child at the time then? also, it's not unreasonable for a coach to want his contract to start at the beginning of the season. an end of season tour is an odd place to begin.

@dan32113 lol no doubt he'd flatten me, it doesn't change the fact that he sounds really camp. it doesn't take away from him being a gread player. just his voice makes him sound like a big quenn. its funny.

1:38 for why Rooney should already have retired in football.

it is strange how he used to be an All Black...

martin johnson i thought the dude from boys like girls

OK, you got me with Landsdowne! Enlighten me and explain the Irish meaning of Thick then? Oh, and by the way, if I was a patronising sort of bloke I would have corrected your (numerous) spelling errors now wouldn't I? Lighten up DARLIN!!

He never won a Magners League...... ;)

@masterofthecranium why don"t you ask him, & bring a paper bag for your teeth.

he is my idol but rugby has made him ugly though lol im a lock aswell nd im english

Name a better lineout forward?Wade Dooley,Abdel Benazzi,Olivier Roumat,Paul O'Connell,John Eales and AL Charron....all equally as tough and alot better technically!

clive woodward had a bad start to his management, he won the world cup. Get a brain, johno was one of the best players in the world.

god ur very gud at history arnt ya?? didnt achieve anythin wit england this year did he?? Grandslam!!;)

one of the best players and captains ever but a terrible coach

@GrungeRocker1000 I would take John Eales over him any day, but he comes a close second

Hard man but crap coach

Johnson was a thug like his mate Dallaglio.An inconvenient poms like to ignore. He took out 3 AB halfbacks with cheap shots - Graeme Bachop,and Justin Marshall.And another - Steve Devine whose career was only just beginning ( and who suffers ongoing migraines to this day ( he played for NZ 2002-3 ). Regardless of his ability as a player - and frankly,in the modern era,the likes of Eales/Retallick are superior IMO - he was a grub.

Not a shit career....it was a good career winning things as an overated player!

Has anyone posted a video of Johnson playing with ball in hand?if so it must be the shortest video on you tube! most overrated player ever!