#3. Martin Johnson
- Position: Lock
- Country: England
- Caps: 83
O’Connell said: “He had a presence. He was a fabulous player, absolutely someone to be admired. I had a huge amount of respect for him and playing against him.”
Martin Johnson facts:
- Under his management England won the 2011 Six Nations Championship, their first since 2003
- He left the post in November 2011 following England’s quarter final defeat at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and has not taken another management position in the game since
- Johnson briefly played American football for the Leicester Panthers as a tight end or defensive end
- In 1989 he was approached by former All Black Colin Meads to try out for the King Country side in New Zealand
- Johnson was born in Shirley, Solihull, the second of three brothers – his younger brother Will is a former back row forward for Leicester