Johnson to give equal opportunities
by Gareth Maher, 13 May 2008
Martin Johnson has suggested that there will be plenty of chances for players to break into the England squad over the coming months.
The former Leicester Tigers player will not be travelling with the squad down to New Zealand for a two-test tour in June, but is already sorting through the various names that could feature in his final squad that will be picked on July 1.
With six new faces in the thirty-two man squad for the summer tour, many people might be wondering if Johnson is all set on changing the roster by shutting out some of the more experienced players.
He insists that all players have a chance to break into the set-up and it is up to them to prove that they deserve to be selected over the coming weeks as he tries to settle on one final squad.
"The more guys striving to be in there and the better they play in order to play for England the better it is going to be," said Johnson at a press conference on Tuesday.
"There are a lot of players plus the thirty two that are going plus a very talented Saxons squad. So there will be some very difficult decisions at the end of June for that squad on July 1st.
"Not just with the thirty two, but also the thirty two below that. There will be some very good players in the Saxons squad that will have genuine grievances about why they aren't in the main thirty two, but there are difficult decisions to make for the two squads that we pick at the end of June.
"It is very competitive. There are some established internationals not going on this tour and some young guys who have a chance to impress."
One of the notable absentees from the squad is full-back Iain Balshaw, who had forced his way back into the international fold during the last RBS Six Nations.
"I spoke to Iain and he was disappointed but took it very well," said Johnson. "He is another guy who has some rugby to play and we will catch-up with him in the offseason and let him know exactly where he stands.
"He is an established international and has played a lot of test matches, but we have decided to take Mike Brown and he accepted that.
"We're not sending him down to the Saxons as we're giving him a break to get himself in top condition. With all of these guys in a very competitive Guinness Premiership, if they are playing well then they will have a chance of being in the squad."