Johnson: We are ready to go to war

13 April 2012

John Eales and I go back a long, long way - 11 years to be exact. So there was no need for any introductions when we bumped into each other out in the middle of the Gabba yesterday.

As captains we had to be there at the cricket stadium posing for photographs with the Tom Richards trophy, one of those pre-Test formalities which I could have done without, but which are part of the hype surrounding big-time rugby these days.

If nothing else, it gave me an early opportunity to inspect the wicket!

Once you've said, 'Hello, mate, how are you?' there is not a great deal else to be said, other than to smile for the cameras and pray that by tomorrow night we are halfway towards making sure that nice piece of glassware will be going home with us at the end of the series in a fortnight.

John and I exchanged a few pleasantries in front of the inevitable battery of television crews, but I declined all interviews because I was under no obligation to give any. Besides, it was my day off and at this stage of the week I refuse to let anything interfere with the serious business of focusing on a Test match of truly global significance: the world champions against the best of Britain and Ireland.

Although this will be the sixth time Eales and I have been on opposite sides at international level, we have been in direct opposition as middlefront- of-the-line jumpers only once, as 20-year- olds in June 1990 when he was playing for Australia Under 21s and I was heavily disguised in an All Black jersey as a member of the New Zealand Colts team.

I was serving my time, so to speak, in Kiwi Country back then and Eales was already making quite a name for himself, even if he was referred to in the match programme as 'John Eagles'. Many playing that day went on to become full internationals, like Garrick Morgan, Craig Dowd, Blair Larsen, John Timu, Craig Innes and a pretty fearsome bloke on the wing whose name took some spelling never mind pronouncing - Va'aiga Tuigamala.

Eales went straight to the top so quickly that by the end of the following year he was playing in and winning a World Cup Final. While he was doing that, I was at home in Market Harborough writing off the entire season because of a shoulder injury. It was not until the 1995 World Cup that our paths crossed again.

If Eales had made the not unreasonable assumption that I was a Kiwi, he might have been surprised to see me reappear in a white shirt rather than a black one. Contrary to popular opinion, my future was always going to be with England, not New Zealand. But enough of the past.

The first point to be made about tomorrow's Test is that I see no danger of any repeat of the sort of scenes we witnessed against New South Wales last week when my old sparring partner, Duncan McRae, punched the daylights out of Ronan O'Gara during a crazy few minutes. I didn't see it at the time but, after watching the video, it was obviously a bad incident. Had I seen it, I would have gone to Ronan's rescue.

Ever since we arrived here a month ago we have been inundated with references to the more physical aspects of the 1989 series, a subject which surprised me initially before it became a complete bore. Winning a Test match is hard enough without allowing yourself to be drawn into any kind of skulduggery.

After another difficult week when the tragic death of our baggage master Anton Toia put everything into perspective, the Test XV is one which I do not think anybody could possibly have predicted a few weeks ago. The last eight days have been some of the most difficult I have experienced on any tour, with Anton's death and more players dropping out.

You also feel for people such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Neil Back, because Lions tours are few and far between. The medical verdict on Backy was that he risked putting himself out of the series by playing tomorrow. With a bit of luck, he should be fit by next week.

Martin Corry steps into the back row and I have no doubt he will give a performance worthy of the occasion. When Graham Henry and Andy Robinson had to replace Simon Taylor after the first match in Perth, they were impressed at how Martin flew halfway round the world, then stepped off the plane and straight into the second match of the tour in Townsville.

This is the best team we've got to do the job but we will have to play to our full potential to win.

Going one up in the series would give us a priceless psychological advantage and if the result is the same as when Eales and I first lined up all those years ago - an away win by three points - it will be some weekend for British and Irish rugby.

Interview: Peter Jackson

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