Dallaglio backs Johnson to be manager

9:04am Friday 21st March 2008

LAWRENCE Dallaglio would approve of Martin Johnson's appointment as England manager as he claims the RBS 6 Nations runners-up demand strong leadership.

But the former England skipper insists the most pressing issue facing director of elite rugby Rob Andrew is to unify the current coaching team.

Johnson, 39, is reportedly in negotiations with Andrew over taking up the newly-created and all-powerful managerial role.

The return of England's World Cup winning captain would be greeted with universal approval and Dallaglio insists his presence would stamp out any disharmony in the squad.

Clearly Martin has the ability to do whatever he wants. His opinions are valued and quite right too,'' he said.

Getting him on board would certainly be a positive step. If he does take the job then I'm sure he'll be very straight talking about what his aspirations and expectations are.

There are strong characters in the England team and you need strong leadership of those personalities otherwise there is dissent and disillusionment.

That's the reality of life - strong people need strong leadership.

If Martin were to come on board he'd have no problem in that role.

He knew what it took as a player to win and understands it's all about results.'' Andrew met Ashton at Twickenham on Tuesday as part of the RFU's standard tournament review and will present his report to the management board next Wednesday.

Dallaglio also had a warning for Danny Cipriani when he said: Jonny Wilkinson wants his place back.'' Cipriani, 20, lit up Twickenham in Saturday's 33-10 drubbing of Ireland, but Wasps team-mate Dallaglio knows Wilkinson will be desperate to reclaim the flyhalf jersey.

When I was playing for England it was all about competition and it's no different now,'' he said.

Make no mistake about it, Jonny will go away and work incredibly hard on making sure he pushes Danny all the way.

If that makes Danny a better player, then great.'' Cipriani returns to club duty for tomorrow's EDF Energy Cup clash against Leicester knowing his life will never be the same after his headline act against Ireland.

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