Martin Johnson Resigns As England Coach

Martin Johnson has decided to resign as manager of the England Rugby team, speculation had been mounting whether Johnson would remain at helm. After being let down by the players on and off the field, Johnson has called time on his career as national team coach.

England failed to live up to expectations at this year World Cup in New Zealand and were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals but it was their off-field behaviour that will be remembered.

Vice-captain Mike Tindall admitted misleading the team management over a night out in Queenstown in which the player was fined £25,000 and told his England career was over after a drinking session that spiralled out of control in New Zealand.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg, with James Haskell and Chris Ashton also reprimanded for bad behaviour, while Manu Tuilagi was fined for jumping off a ferry in Auckland harbour.

Johnson has been roundly criticised for a lack of discipline in his squad and it was the high-profile misbehaviour of Tindall - now a member of the royal family after his marriage to Zara Philips - that attracted the most negative publicity.

Johnson, who captained England to their World Cup triumph in 2003, called a meeting with his coaching team on Wednesday morning to explain his decision to walk away from the job he has held since July 2008. 

Johnson decision to retire will come as no surprise after the level of criticism he had received after England’s poor performance in New Zealand.