Johnson gives us punch we need

Seven years on, there are still two indentations on my left thigh and a scar running across my ankle to remind me of that match.

After the ruck I got up and carried on. It wasn't a case of being hard because my leg was killing me, but in that situation you have to get up and not show any pain.

That was the advice I was given when I started playing and I handed it to newcomers I came across.

As a centre, I tried my best to avoid ending up in rucks and mauls. For Johnson it's a different story because he operates at close quarters with the opposition and has to be the hard man because any weakness is quickly exploited.

He has the total respect of his team-mates because he would never ask them to do anything he was not willing to undertake.

His major problem is that opponents know he's an easy target and they try to wind up England's captain because they would love to get him sent off or sin-binned.

It's very easy for those on the sidelines to talk about turning the other cheek and to adopt the stiff upper lip attitude. It's a different story in the maelstrom that is international rugby.

We are talking about a full contact sport where everyone is trying to get an advantage.

My attitude was to never allow the provocation, verbal abuse or kickings to get to me.

I was determined not to lose control, but I didn't back off either.

This self-control was tested to the limit when I played for London Division against the All Blacks in 1993 after having been a member of the Lions squad in New Zealand some months earlier.

It wasn't a happy Lions tour for me and Sean Fitzpatrick, the All Blacks captain, spent the entire London game reminding me about that trip. He kept up this tirade about me being finished as a player all through the game and it was hard to ignore his constant chatter.

I kept reminding myself that captaincy is about maintaining your focus no matter what is going on around you or what kind of tactics the opposition are trying to use. To achieve this you must remain calm and almost detached.

Personal discipline is crucial - both mental and physical - because you are setting the tone for the team and your standards need to be very high. For Johnson, the ability to set the tone and remain in control is that much harder.

Johnson's role in the pack is to physically dominate his opponent by playing rugby right on the edge.

I always believed when leading England that if you were throwing punches, then you were not focused on your role.

That is why I was so annoyed when I allowed myself to punch Sella and Berbizier but, as I have already pointed out, we are all human. I don't agree with the view that Johnson is out of control on too many occasions.

Maybe, he needs more help from the other England forwards who could take some of the pressure off their leader by becoming enforcers in their own right.

The Grand Slam teams I captained had a core of hard men - Wade Dooley, Brian Moore, Mike Teague, Peter Winterbottom and Dean Richards. They were ready to mix it, but also had very good discipline. Opposition packs knew that if they took liberties there would be a reaction.

I do not advocate foul play, but I am also realistic enough to know it happens. Test rugby is so tight that one penalty can be the difference between winning and losing.

I know that only too well from the Second Test in Argentina in 1990 which we lost and ended up with a drawn series.

The penalty that won the Pumas the game resulted from a punch thrown by Jeff Probyn.

Probyn had been hit and retaliated as he explained to me in the dressing room after the match.

I had to point out to Probyn that because he had allowed a personal feud to distract him, we had lost the match.

Johnson is also fully aware of the consequences of losing his focus at Test level and the fall-out from the punch he landed on Saracens hooker Robbie Russell on Saturday will serve as a timely reminder that his every move will be closely watched against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.