Johnson offers leadership - Dallaglio

Lawrence Dallaglio would approve of Martin Johnson's appointment as England manager as he claims the RBS 6 Nations runners-up demand strong leadership.

But the former England skipper insists the most pressing issue facing director of elite rugby Rob Andrew is to unify the current coaching team.

"Clearly Martin has the ability to do whatever he wants. His opinions are valued and quite right too," Dallaglio said. "Getting him on board would certainly be a positive step forward."

Johnson, 39, is reportedly locked in negotiations with Andrew over taking up the newly-created and all-powerful managerial role.

Dallaglio added: "If he does take the job then I'm sure he'll be very straight talking about what his aspirations and expectations are.

"Inevitably there are strong characters in the England team and you need strong leadership of those personalities otherwise there is dissent and disillusionment.

"That's the reality of life - strong people need strong leadership. If Martin were to come on board he'd have no problem in that role.

"He knew what it took as a player to win and understands it's all about results."