"There was a time when you would not have called Johnson assured but he appears to have added that quality to his armoury as well and it was very much in evidence as he held his first press conference." John Taylor writes

Think Martin Johnson - think power, think strength, think determination, think decisiveness, think leadership - usually by example.

The great man will need all of the qualities people already associate with him now that he has officially taken over as England's rugby Supremo. He has time but, ultimately, he must succeed - second best represents failure but Johnson doesn't do second best which is why he has been shoehorned into the job a little more quickly than he would have liked in a perfect world.

It is a bit of a cliché but he really does command respect and there is something of an aura about him since he retired. There was a time when you would not have called Johnson assured but he appears to have added that quality to his armoury as well and it was very much in evidence as he held his first press conference as England Team Manager.

In the official Rugby Football Union release this was 'Martin Johnson CBE and Elite Rugby Director, Rob Andrew, MBE' announcing the England Elite Player Squad and the Saxons Elite Player squad.

(How pompous is that? Surely they're not going to mention their honours every time they have something to say - that is definitely not Johnno's style.)

I have said before that I believe Johnno's appointment will eventually leave Andrew without a job and, despite the joint billing, I think we already know who is in charge.

Johnno certainly took centre stage dealing with the fall-out from the New Zealand tour and, typically, set out his stall unequivocally - 'The allegations are serious against the England team. We can't have that for our players, our team, our sport.' He did not need to spell out the implications but insisted events in Auckland had nothing to do with his squad selection.

I do not believe there was much input from Andrew on that either. Johnson has trusted his own judgement.

One of Brian Ashton's biggest failings was that he was a poor selector. He could never get the mix of experience and youthful promise right so he never created the right environment for the huge pool of talent that England possess to flourish.

We shall not know absolutely until he chooses his first team for the autumn internationals but Johnson's first squads show a confidence that immediately produce a feel-good factor. The senior squad oozes class but there is a balance of pragmatism to make it all work.

In some ways the composition of the Saxons is more revealing because it gives a few people who might have thought of themselves as established players a real wake-up call.

There are the multi-capped players such as Mike Tindall, Joe Worsley and even Johnson's old second-row partner, Ben Kay who are being given a clear message - not sure whether you have anything left to offer but I'm giving you the chance.

Even more interesting are guys who have received rave reviews in the past 12 months but who in my book (and obviously the new boss's) have been overrated.

Nick Easter might still come through but I'm not sure he has the power to make a real impact at the top level.

David Strettle has a terrific natural swerve and decent pace (but no more). Crucially, he still looks naïve and needs to do a huge amount of work on his defensive game before you could trust him against the big boys.

Richard Wigglesworth's demotion is perhaps the most significant of all. He is simply not good enough at the moment. Some of the most respected voices in English rugby who are closely associated with Sale, will tell you that the signing of Dwayne Peel is the most important acquisition they have made because they cannot progress further with Wigglesworth dictating play.

England were absolutely hammered in New Zealand and that has led to some calls for discarding any sort of youth policy and going entirely for the tried and tested. Those in that camp seem to have forgotten that England have been a spent force ever since winning the World Cup in 2003.

Does anybody really believe that they deserved to get to the World Cup Final last November or that their second place in this years Six Nations Championship was a praiseworthy performance. Of course they don't!

Johnson knows his forwards were beaten out of sight by New Zealand's more physical approach. Tom Rees and James Haskell showed they could live with that intensity but few others fronted up so the inclusion of Dylan Hartley, Tom Croft and Jordan Crane is vital. They can literally take England forward.

Similarly, James Simpson-Daniel and Shane Geraghty offer something special in the backs and with Josh Lewsey back in the fold and Danny Cipriani ready to be reinstated as soon as he proves he is fit and has lost none of his unique talents you can see where England can go.

For all his reputation as an attack minded coach Ashton proved ultra-conservative and was stifling England's development. On this first showing Johnson is bold and has taken charge in exactly the way we expected.

With the new agreement in place with the Premiership Clubs there can be no excuses. He has the players and the platform. I will bet he delivers - and sooner rather than later.