Johnson is a lucky devil

'In considering the appropriate penalty for the second and third charges, we took the view that there should be some discount to reflect the overall nature of the game. We have therefore reduced both tariff sentences by one week.

'Had you accepted your responsibility and pleaded guilty, we would have been able to apply a greater discount. We therefore conclude that you should be suspended for 21 days in relation to the second charge and 35 days for charge three.'

The Commodore, a 45-year-old former Hampshire centre who still turns out on a regular basis for the United Services Veterans' XV in Portsmouth, had earlier told Johnson: 'In deciding what penalties to impose, we have taken into account your good disciplinary record, all that has been said on your behalf and the context of the games.

'Your position in the game is that of an icon and many people look up to you. But with this privileged position comes responsibility. You are much admired for your commitment and robust style of play but there is a line which must not be crossed where over-robustness becomes unacceptable.'

The suspensions will be served concurrently but the punishment is still long enough to put Johnson's immediate international future in some jeopardy.

It makes his only previous sentence trivial by comparison. A one-match ban, imposed by the English management for punching All Black scrum half Justin Marshall from behind at Old Traf-ford three years ago, was considerably less than he might have expected had the New Zealanders not left it to the discretion of the English management.

The Lions captain could count himself singularly fortunate, therefore, at being let off almost scot-free yesterday. The RFU panel may have complimented Johnson on his 'good disciplinary record' but the Marshall incident was one of five recently.

The first two involved punches on opposing players which resulted, ironically, in an England colleague suffering on each occasion. Jeremy Guscott had a try disallowed against Argentina at Twickenham in December 1996 because Johnson had struck an opponent off the ball.

Against Wales at Cardiff in March 1997, Tim Stimpson had a try rubbed out in almost identical circumstances. Again Johnson had been caught throwing a punch, the referee considering that a penalty to the opposition, as had been the case against Argentina, was sufficient punishment.

In February 1999, Johnson escaped with a yellow card for allegedly stamping on the throat of Scotland centre John Leslie. John Jeffrey, then a member of the Scottish Rugby Union, called for Johnson to be banned for the rest of that season and blasted the RFU for lacking 'the guts to take the necessary action'.

The yellow card amounted to nothing more than a warning and the following month Johnson had collected another one against Ireland in Dublin for barging into an opponent. Ironically, had the referee in charge of the Saracens Cup tie, Chris Rees, seen Johnson's foul on McRae and dealt with it, Sarries would have been unable to press any charges.

Instead of 10 minutes in the sin-bin, Johnson now finds himself out of the game for five weeks, a damning example of how the whole citing procedure is flawed. Instead of throwing the onus on to the clubs, the RFU has to appoint an independent citing commissioner as a matter of urgency. Why they have failed to do so before now, heaven alone knows.