English Rugby
Johnson plans to rotate squad
Scrum.com
May 18, 2010
England manager Martin Johnson talks to the media, England squad announcement, Twickenham Stadium, England, May 11, 2010
England boss Martin Johnson plans to give all of his players game time this summer © Getty Images
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England team manager Martin Johnson has revealed that he intends to make full use of his 44-strong squad for this summer's tour of Australia and New Zealand.

With England set to play six times in a four-week spell, Johnson is hoping that he will be able to grant every single member of his touring party at least one start.

"That would be the intention," he told Sky Sports News. "But guys can also have an impact coming off the bench. It's important as you can play a significant role coming off the bench. In our last game in France (in the Six Nations), David Wilson and Steve Thompson came on and played 40 minutes and had a big effect.

"Whatever your role - whether you are starting, on the bench, or not on the bench - you have to support the guys in training and do what's asked of you at that moment."

England will play a game against the Barbarians before they depart for the Australian leg of their tour and Johnson is overjoyed that, with the exception of Toulon's Jonny Wilkinson and those who will be involved in Sunday week's Guinness Premiership final between Saracens and Leicester, he is in a position to assemble the vast majority of his squad together this week.

"This is a good chance to get some work in ahead of that Barbarians game and there is a lot of information for the guys to take in so it's nice to be able to do that work without the pressure of a game at the end of the week," he said. "It's going to be beneficial for them.

"This is a great opportunity for some guys for whom it is the first time they've been in the squad. Some guys who have won a few caps but not been in the squad for a while, maybe someone like Olly Barkley, and some of the older guys as well."

Johnson also believes that the trip 'Down Under' provides him with an excellent opportunity to establish which players will be suited to the rigours of World Cup rugby.

"Even in the Six Nations when we are away, we travel two or three days before the game," he said. "When you are in a World Cup you are away for three or four weeks, hopefully longer, and you have to be able to handle the routine of it. We will see how these guys handle it. In Australia and New Zealand there is always a lot of media attention and pressure on your shoulders."

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