History beckons as Johnson and his revitalised England go for Cup glory

One of the many intriguing sub-plots from the next month or so will be whether old mono-brow, Mr English Rugby, can replicate the magic of 2003 from his seat in the stands.

He certainly has a team capable of doing so.

Seasoned campaigners and veterans from that memorable night in Sydney, mixed with a delicious sprinkling of youthful exuberance.

Johnson’s chosen 30 are ready. No team will want to face them. No-one will take them lightly, or a victory for granted.

They may not be the best team going into the tournament as they definitely were in 2003; that onus rests with hosts New Zealand, closely followed by recent Tri-Nations winners Australia.

But they have come a long away under Johnson. Since Johnson took over in 2008, he has overseen two years of glacial progress. Slow and steady... but definite.

“I never got carried away with iconic status. You need to judge yourself, and I know the truth,” said Johnson at the time of his appointment.

“No person has ever done any job without making mistakes but if you have the right intentions, and you are honest, you can live with yourself.

“We want superstar players on the field who people will look to in this country and say ‘aren’t they great?’. That would be ideal.”

England are now in that position. The likes of Chris Ashton, Ben Foden and Ben Youngs are at the forefront of an exciting new generation.

It has taken three years but Johnson has grown into the role and the gamble made by the Rugby Football Union to dispense with Brian Ashton – who had somehow led England to a World Cup final in late 2007 – is paying off.

England’s young team won their first Six Nations title in eight years this year – their first since Johnson was captain in 2003.

Even the manner in which they missed out on the grand slam, with a defeat to Ireland in Dublin, has served as an important pre-World Cup lesson to England in the need to perform better under pressure.

The corner is still being turned so it would be churlish to get carried away – but England have landed in New Zealand with an opportunity of reaching a third consecutive final.

If England can get past Argentina, the seeded team in the group, and Scotland then they are likely to meet France in the quarter-finals – a team they have beaten this year and at the last two World Cups.

The form guide suggests a victory over Les Bleus would tee up a semi-final against Australia – a team England have beaten twice in the last year and in each of the last two World Cups.

From there... well who knows?

“We are doing something we are very lucky to do. There are a lot of worse jobs out there. There are a lot of other things you could be doing that are hard work,” said Johnson. “But what is the alternative? There are some days when there is only one thing worse than doing what you are doing – and that is not doing it.”

Johnson could have sat at home, or picked up a lucrative television contract to cast observations from afar.

Instead, like a true leader, he has taken the responsibility on his broad shoulders.

The former Leciester Tiger cared not a jot about tarnishing that reputation as English rugby’s captain colossus.

Helping him try to win a second World Cup for England, and in doing so creating history, are a group of players who still revere him for his playing accomplishments.

Inspired to play with freedom in the last year, England have moved on from 2007’s dull set-up.

The embodiment of their rise has been Chris Ashton, the former rugby league winger who runs devastating lines through the middle. Eight years ago, when Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Neil Back and company were celebrating the defining moment of their lives, young Ashton was still in bed.

“I was not about to get up at eight o’clock to watch a game of rugby I didn’t understand or have any concept about,” he recalled.

“I remember watching the highlights when it was all over the place about England winning – that’s the only bit I remember.

“I was 16 and rugby league mad. Rugby league was all I was bothered about. Even after we won, I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t really pay attention to the difference it made to the game over here in England.

“It brought rugby union up a notch and the attention it gets now is a lot down to that win.”

Ashton’s first taste of union came in 2007 when he switched codes just before the World Cup, leaving his home-town club for Northampton, who had just been relegated from the Premiership.

Even then, England’s battling run to the World Cup final in France largely passed him by.

“There was a pub across the road from our ground and we all went in and watched the semi-final (when England beat France) in there,” he said. “Apart from that I can’t remember too much of it. I know we played South Africa (in the pool stages) and got beaten quite badly – it was in the papers about the players having a night out afterwards.

“They tried to change it up and relax a bit and it worked because they then got to the final.”

Ashton was an immediate success in rugby union, smashing try-scoring records as Northampton won promotion back to the Premiership in his first season at Franklin’s Gardens.

It has not all been plain sailing though as he struggled to adapt to the demands of the top flight and he considered a return to his rugby league roots in 2009.

But his late father urged him to stick it out and the advice proved inspirational. Ashton is now one of the most lethal finishers on the international stage and the World Cup could be his crowning moment.

He has certainly made a splash for England on the international stage, scoring his maiden Test try in the 21-20 victory over Australia in Sydney and scoring twice more as England beat the Wallabies at Twickenham in November – including a length-of-the-field effort that was voted the International Rugby Players’ Association try of the year.

More were to follow in the Six Nations, with two against Wales and then four against Italy as Ashton, with his now trademark swallow-dive, equalled the tournament record.

He is hungry for tries. It is how he plays, coming off his wing to track the play, searching out openings. It has added a new dimension to England’s game over the last 12 months.

And for the first time, he is fully aware of the Rugby World Cup, what it means and what opportunities lie ahead.

England’s campaign begins against Argentina on September 10. The final is on October 23 in Auckland.

“I want to win it,” he said.

“Hopefully, we will get to the final – from there it’s just a one-off game.”

If he and his team-mates can treat the biggest game of the year like any other, then Johnson and England may well have the chance to rewrite history.

[email protected]