Media give Johnson red-carpet treatment

THE PREAMBLE took about 10 minutes. Martin Johnson had fielded questions about penalty counts, South African referee Craig Joubert and the venue for today’s Six Nations match, Croke Park; his answers were peppered with an occasional gentle chiding of his inquisitors.

The England coach had unfurled himself in a seat that seemed ridiculously small for his frame. He knew the query would come eventually. The moment was flagged by a gentle loosener.

“What’s your welcome been like in Dublin?”

Johnson allowed the hint of a smile to cross his lips: “Fantastic.”

Really?

“Yeah, very warm, definitely has. (It’s) been too friendly, to be honest.”

Undaunted an inquisitor persisted. “(A) taxi driver mentioned your reaction in 2003,” a reference to the famous red carpet incident when Johnson, then England captain, refused to budge when it was pointed out that the Ireland team traditionally stood on that side of the carpet nearest the Lansdowne Road end.

The culmination of Johnson’s refusal to shift was that Ireland marched down past the England team and President Mary McAleese was forced to go off piste to greet the home team.

Johnson’s first return to Ireland in an official capacity was not going to pass without a reference to “carpet-gate”.

The England coach continued: “Nobody’s mentioned it so far. I’ll let you know when they do.”

Persistence is one of the media’s many virtues. “Is that still, as you said in your best-selling book, a genuine mistake?”

Johnson: “Is that, did I lie in my book?”

Inquisitor: “No, no, I’m saying, is that still the case? As far as you’re concerned, what happened that day was a genuine mistake as opposed to a pre-meditated plan to upset the Irish?”

“Leave it alone! I told you on Wednesday to leave it alone.”

Inquisitor: “You didn’t leave it alone in your book, why should I leave it alone?”

“That book was published the same year as the incident, that’s six years ago.”

Inquisitor: “Yeah, and it’s still talked about, England are one of your teams.”

“It’s talked about mainly here with you guys, not talked about here in Dublin. Things have moved on.”

Inquisitor: “People here still talk about it.”

“Next question.”

Inquisitor: “Genuine mistake?”

“You’re asking me, did I lie in my book?”

Inquisitor: “No, I’m not. Do you regret it?”

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

It should be pointed out that the occasional wry smile was exchanged along with the words.

Johnson was much more forthcoming on a variety of other subjects, one of which was Croke Park. The England coach enthused: “Great stadium, fantastic. (It has) a wide surface, bigger than a normal rugby pitch. All the guys who played last time said it was a great atmosphere, despite the scoreline. (We’re) looking forward to it.”

He was also satisfied that his team have addressed the issues pertaining to penalty count and yellow cards that undermined them against Wales. Johnson has spoken with Joubert, but, more appositely, with his players.

“We met the referee yesterday (Thursday), (had) a perfectly good meeting with him and now looking forward to the game. It’s just making calls in the heat of the battle. You’re always going to get ones that go against you; that you can argue against. That’s part of the game.

“It’s a difficult area for the referee. We need to do everything in our power to be as clean as we can there.

“They (the players) can’t back off. You’ve got to make a decision, whether to go in and compete, or not. When they go in and compete, they’ve got to be accurate and get out if knocked on the floor.”