Our boys will give Martin their all

If I had to go to the gates of Hell, I would want Martin Johnson at my side. The secret about Martin is that I wouldn't even have to ask him to come along - as a team-mate and friend that is where he wants to be.

Martin would not let you face anything on your own and standing shoulder to shoulder with his team-mates is second nature to him.

As a player this was a crucial part of his make-up and he expects the same from you and that will still be the case now that he is the England manager.

When you are a good and honest man like Martin, you live your life by principles; don't lie, cheat or let your mates down. He doesn't have an ego and has time for everyone and that's why people will walk over broken glass for the man. I was prepared to do that and the players will feel the same.

Of course, there is another side to Martin and while he would join you at the gates of Hell, he would also be delighted to join you at the front door of your local on pub quiz night. He is a serious anorak when it comes to facts and figures about sport and he has the same encyclopaedic knowledge of rugby.

I am a little bit surprised at the expectation surrounding Martin going into this match with the Pacific Islanders. Do I think he is the right man for the job? Yes. Do I think he has come in at the right time? Yes. He has time to build a squad to go forward to the next World Cup in New Zealand but there is no instant success and we all need to have a bit of patience.