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Martin Johnson is the shot in the arm that English rugby needed

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Pablo Luna - Moonlighting for Befair. Pablo has some sympathy for the departed Brian Ashton but is looking forward to an exciting era of English Rugby under Martin Johnson. Here's why...

Martin Johnson, the World Cup-winning captain, has replaced the incumbent Brian Ashton as the England team manager and the country exhales a sigh of relief! It replaces a wave of sympathy on behalf of Ashton for the way he has been treated and the circumstances in which he has had to operate. He inherited a coaching team in January 2007 (not of his choosing) but managed to guide England to the World Cup final in October and second place in this year's RBS Six Nations Championship.

He should have received the nation's wholehearted thanks for his spirited and erstwhile efforts and then removed prior to the RBS Six Nations Championship. At the age of 62 he did not have the drive, energy or the authority to fulfil English hopes of winning the World Cup in 2011. He does feel that he should have had some input into the appointment of a manager and the failure to include him in the process has left him humiliated and bewildered and I empathise with those feelings.

There are reservations in some quarters that Martin Johnson (38) has no managing or coaching experience. Accepting that experience is usually a vital pre-requisite but will this count against him? No - because ultimately it is the calibre of the person that matters. This pillar of inspiration is the right choice at the right time. I am genuinely excited by his appointment!

Unlike the Peter Moores (English cricket) scenario, he has spent his whole career playing international rugby at top class level and has worked closely with some of the best coaches in the game. He has a good rugby brain, will instil passion and is a morale-boosting colossus. He knows what a successful team looks and smells like and has the road map to get there.

His pedigree goes before him. With 84 caps over 11 years he is regarded as the greatest lock to have ever played. Johnson led the England side to a Grand Slam and World Cup victory in 2003. He toured three times with the British and Irish Lions, becoming the only man to have captained them on two separate tours. He also led his club Leicester Tigers to back-to back Heineken Cup victories and won the league six times. Like all great players he delivered when the stakes were at their highest. I think he is England's greatest-ever player! What do you think?

He is known for his strong leadership and "no-nonsense" approach to the game and will instantaneously have the attention and respect of the current crop of players and able to groom those about to enter the set-up. He recognises the importance of the team ethos and the collective. Johnson has no ego and will not be messed around and he has promised to bring a new and fresh approach to team development and preparation but in his own inimitable style. If you want to look inside a window of his personality please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BdsTh2oP6o

This icon of English rugby is a little providential in that he has arrived at an incisive and exciting time. The standard of the Premiership has developed a high-quality crop of young players and in a couple of years they will be going places in the England side. He has been given carte blanche to appoint coaches, oversee selection, direct operations and put in place all the details necessary to make England a constant power in world rugby.

We can now legitimately look forward to the 2011 World Cup. Present Betfair odds show: New Zealand [1.86] Australia [5.8] South Africa [6.4] France [10.5] England [10.5] Wales [16.5] Ireland [17.5] Argentina [21] Scotland [32] Italy [100]. I know it is early doors but worthy of note that the market has formed with England shorter than Wales, Scotland and Argentina. Not sure whether I agree with that...