Rugby: Johnson quits as England coach

LONDON: Under-fire England team manager Martin Johnson has quit after a disappointing rugby World Cup in New Zealand that was marred by ill-discipline. Johnson was blamed for failing to impose his will on the England squad during the tournament, in which his team exited at the quarter-final stage. Johnson, 41, who lifted the World Cup with England as captain in Australia in 2003, had been the team’s manager for three-and-a-half years. England entered the World Cup with high hopes, but their campaign was blighted by images of senior player Mike Tindall apparently drunk in a Queenstown nightclub after a group stage match.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2011.