'Johnno' welcomes pressure

New manager Martin Johnson believes there should always be expectation and pressure surrounding England's rugby team to deliver the goods.

Since the World Cup-winning captain retired from playing more than three years ago, England have struggled to hit the heights on a consistent basis despite reaching a second successive World Cup final last October.

Johnson said: "We should have the expectation surrounding England."

He added: "When I got into the England team, they had got into a World Cup final two years previously (1991).

"The expectation on the England team when I was growing up - there wasn't an expectation, let's be frank.

"There should be an expectation of our major sports teams to do well, and that pressure will come with the job.

"If you make decisions with the best intentions, then you can live with yourself. Everyone makes mistakes and gets things wrong.

"We did that in 2003, but came back from that and ultimately were judged a successful team.

"If you believe it when people say you are great, you have to believe them when they say you are not doing very well. Ultimately, the truth lies somewhere in the middle."