Johnson
Read on for everything you need to know about the formidable former Leicester, England, and Lions rugby legend.
Martin Johnson Bio
World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson is one of the finest locks to ever play rugby union. In a career that spanned 16 seasons, Johnson won a series of major trophies at domestic and international level. With more than 350 appearances for Leicester Tigers, 84 England caps and eight British and Irish Lions caps, he’s a giant of the game who will undoubtedly go down as one of rugby’s finest players. Martin Johnson was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born 9 March 1970, Martin Johnson briefly played American football during his youth. Plus, before he began playing rugby regularly in England, he played two seasons in New Zealand and even made one appearance for New Zealand’s under-21s team.
However, Martin Johnson made his Leicester Tigers debut in 1989 and never looked back. Between 1989 and 2005, he made 362 appearances for the club. During this period, he won the Premiership title five times, the Heineken Champions Cup on two occasions and the Pilkington Cup twice.
In 1993, Martin Johnson made his debut for the England national side and was immediately successful. After becoming a mainstay for the team, he became captain in 1999. During his illustrious career for the international side, he won the Six Nations Championship five times, including two Grand Slams. However, his greatest achievement came in 2003, when he captained England to victory in the Rugby World Cup. The final, which England won in extra time, was his last appearance for the national team.
On top of this, Martin Johnson holds the distinction of being the first man to captain the British and Irish Lions twice. Although they lost on the tour of Australia in 2001, he captained the side to victory in South Africa in 1997. Due to his success as a player, Martin Johnson was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2004 New Year honours and he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.
Since his retirement, Martin Johnson had a spell as England head coach. During his tenure, he captured the Six Nations Championship in 2011. However, he resigned shortly after due to the side’s poor performance at the Rugby World Cup. Now, he works as a rugby and American football pundit.
