Nick Cain column: Could Johnno make Lions roar again in New Zealand?

Martin Johnson has not attended many Press conferences since he resigned as England manager just over four years ago. However, he made a rare appearance for the Lions last week as one of their ambassadors as the touring side unveiled Standard Life as their main commercial partner ahead of the 2017 tour to New Zealand.
Johnson, who is more relaxed than during his England tenure (understandably), and still looks fit enough to play, knows a thing or two about New Zealand rugby.
His appearances for the New Zealand U21s during a couple of formative seasons at King Country are well documented, and his wife, Kay, is a Kiwi, so visits to ‘the land of the long white cloud’ are no novelty for the man whose Lions and England exploits earned him the moniker, Captain Colossus.
Johnson also made his Lions debut on the 1993 tour of New Zealand, and having been called up as a replacement for Wade Dooley after winning just one cap for England, he played in the last two Tests of a knife-edge losing series against the All Blacks. The Leicester lock then went on to captain the Lions to a landmark victory in South Africa in 1997, and did the same in the narrow defeat in Australia in 2001.
Given that illustrious association with the touring side it was notable that Johnson did not automatically back Warren Gatland‘s candidacy as the 2017 Lions coach. While Johnson acknowledged that Gatland’s stock is high as a winning Lions coach – the Wales-based Kiwi having steered the 2013 tourists to a 2-1 series victory in Australia – he also voiced reservations.
Foremost among them, Johnson is concerned that a current Six Nations coach is too conflicted when it comes to selection. He gave the 2001 Lions coach, Graham Henry, who like Gatland also coached Wales, and Clive Woodward – whose 2005 Lions team was heavily England-based – as examples.
Johnson said:  “I always think that if a guy is coaching a team (already) it puts him in a difficult position in terms of selection. If you win (like Warren) you are alright – it is the right selection by definition. I thought with Graham in 2001, it was awkward for him. I think he probably picked some players who shouldn’t have gone on that trip. He knew them and trusted them to a degree.”
Asked if the same applied to Woodward in 2005, his response was: “Absolutely.”
Johnson suggested that the Lions should not be scared of looking outside the Home Unions for a coach, and also questioned whether the two favourites to coach the 2017 side, Gatland and Ireland coach Joe Schmidt – also a New Zealander – would benefit from inside knowledge.
“It’s like all these things, there are always pros and cons. Will they go outside? You don’t have to pick a guy who is coaching in the Six Nations…I think it is more do-able these days. Back 20 years ago you would never have dreamt of it, but now there are more professional coaches – but I still think they won’t (go outside the Six Nations).”
Johnson said also that no decision was likely to be nailed down until the end of the 2016 summer Home Unions tours to the Southern Hemisphere. “You said before the (World Cup) tournament that Joe Schmidt was on fire in terms of what Ireland had done, but I think it depends on what happens in the next patch of games, and the summer tour. Warren has done it and been successful, so that is going to put him in a reasonably unique position.”
However, there was another shot fired at Gatland, with Johnson saying that he had used his old Leicester mate and former England forwards coach, Graham Rowntree, as a shield following the scrummaging meltdown in the opening Test of the 2009 Lions series in South Africa.
“Well, he was assistant coach in 2009. ‘Wig’ (Rowntree) did the forwards, so I don’t know exactly what he did do. Wig got chucked out there when the scrum went badly, I know that much. If you have a bad scrum, put Graham in front of the camera!”
Johnson said that New Zealand would be as formidable as ever in 2017, and that a decline following their World Cup-double and the retirements of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter was wishful thinking.
“They won in 2011 and they came back even better. I don’t think you can hold out any hope that they will be average.”
He added: “To win a series there is as hard as winning the World Cup, probably harder.”
Could any of this be construed as a pitch by Johnson to get back into international coaching, even possibly with the Lions? Not according to the man himself. Asked if he wanted to coach again this was Johnson’s response:
“After watching Heyneke Meyer during the World Cup? Jesus! You have never been more uncomfortable watching the poor bloke. I am not burning for it…but you never know what is going to happen.”