Johnson lauds hero Hill
Fri, 09 May 2008 14:19
England manager Martin Johnson has saluted his former teammate Richard Hill as the modest hero of England Rugby.
Speaking on the Gillette Rugby Podcast, the 2003 World Cup-winning captain paid tribute to the Saracens and England legend, known as England’s 'Mr Dependable', who this weekend will take to the field for this club for the last time.
"There's no doubt that Richard Hill was most consistent player I ever played with," said Johnson.
"But if you say that, people imagine a guy who was very steady. Richard was a guy who was performing at a world level quicker than anyone else and he continued at that level for his entire career.
"He was playing right at the top level every time he played. He was outstanding in that regard," added the former England skipper.
Johnson recalls one occasion that he says sums up the measure of the man.
"I remember one match, I think his 200th game for the club. Leicester were comfortably ahead of Saracens, which was unusual for us at Vicarage Road, and Hilly [Hill} had a dead leg.
"It was just before the Six Nations, so I said to him 'you should get yourself off'. But he stayed on until the end, even though the match was effectively a lost cause. It’s those sorts of moments that fellow players most appreciate," added Johnson.
England's search for the next generation of Richard Hills will be led by Stuart Lancaster. The Leeds Carnegie director of rugby will this summer become the Rugby Football Union's (RFU) head of elite player development, taking over from Conor O'Shea.
"I'm stepping into big shoes following David Shaw and then Conor O'Shea," said Lancaster.
"I see my role as supporting the role of the regional academies and helping them produce players, not only for the clubs but for England.
"I'll also be working with the national coaches and the age group sides. We've got a fantastic group of players coming though and at representative level. England results this year have been outstanding," he added.
Drawing parallels with his time at Leeds, Lancaster says success depends on getting the right balance.
"My philosophy has always been about building long term sustainability," he said.
"But there are short term results that you need. With Leeds we needed to win on a weekly basis. It's similar with the national side - results mean everything - but so does long term development.
"If England are going to stay up at the top of the international game for the future then the sorts of structures we've got in place now are crucial.
"We won't win everything but at the top end we should be consistently producing talent that can bring home World Cups," he concluded.
