"If motivational or technical things need to be said before the match, then other players might bring them up," Easter said. "But what is important for the captain is to lead by example on the pitch."
Steve Thompson is desperate to use Sunday's match to show Johnson he is worth his place in the England team.
The hooker is set to complete a move from Brive to Leeds Carnegie before the start of next season. It is a switch Thompson could never have envisaged four years ago, when he had neck surgery and was warned by medics to quit playing or risk paralysis.
But Thompson sought a second opinion and then paid back £500,000 in insurance money after being given the all-clear to make his comeback.
Thompson returned to rugby in late 2007 and, with Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley out of the summer tour to Australia and New Zealand through injury, now has a golden opportunity to cement himself back at the heart of England's front row.
"Playing for England is a massive pull for me," said Thompson. "I have come through the injury and I want to keep challenging myself and playing at the highest level.
"I see it as a great challenge at Leeds. I was impressed by their set-up and hopefully I come back a better player. For one thing, my neck works and my arm works.
"I am more experienced now. I have played in a different culture. I have never been as fit as I am or as light as I am. I am stronger than I was but I am not the size I was."
