MARTIN JOHNSON HAS finally spoken out in reaction to the controversial document leaks that have caused further embarrassment to the England team, following their disastrous World Cup campaign.
Calling the leaks “one of the worst things I’ve experienced in the game,” Johnson stated that they were “not a true reflection of the squad”.
Johnson backed up the claims of Rob Andrew, suggesting that the damning nature of the leaks, which portray a highly divided England camp, constituted an exaggerated version of events.
Speaking to the BBC, he said:
“They are opinions, certainly not truths. They were written in an emotive time for everyone post-tournament.”
Johnson also claimed the media were partially to blame, due to the perceived ineptitude of their reporting:
“The way they have been leaked is detrimental to the game. The way it has been reported, the imbalance, is one of the worst things.”
However, the ex-England boss conceded that some players didn’t help their cause, owing to their poor behaviour:
“Certain actions by certain players did let the group down and led us to be portrayed as something we weren’t and something they aren’t but we didn’t help that at the time so of course there were frustrations.”
The England side received widespread criticism for their actions both on and off the field at this year’s Rugby World Cup, which prompted Johnson’s recent departure as head coach.
