Martin Johnson keeps his reputation unlike the RFU

Martin Johnson's resignation came as no surprise to those of us that follow rugby. He left the press conference last week a forlorn figure, but a dignified one. I don't think anyone could criticise him for his decision after a tumultuous world cup where the players continually let him down.

Johnson can't be blamed for his performance as England manager, mainly because he was not given the right structure. Yes, he was chosen to manage the team with no previous coaching experience at all, but surely Rob Andrew or whoever takes control of that area (because I don't know anymore) should have given him the coaching support he needed? Instead Johnson was pretty much left out in the cold, struggling to juggle coaching duties with the management of players and the senior team. 

Rob Andrew, the RFU's Director of Operations, gave a confusing performance at the press conference, one which gave us more questions than answers overall, like what is his actual role and whether he we should trust him to find a replacement for Johnson. The RFU has been going through a tough time in the last 6 months, its reputation arguably in tatters, but it must regroup and someone must take charge of the situation. The last few months sound like there have been too many cooks in the RFU kitchen and no one has taking responsibility for their actions, least of all Rob Andrew apparently. 

His appointment was a political gamble that didn't pay off for the RFU. Rugby teams needs guys in tracksuits and whistles demanding discipline and trust, England got none of that and it showed on the biggest stage of them all. It all sounded rather exciting when Johnson was named as manager but realistically what were we expecting?