I'm lucky to have had the chance to play on some great teams and with some great players

Johnson, who made 84 appearances for England and captained them to World Cup victory in Australia, announced his decision on Saturday.

"You know when it is time to go and you don't need to talk to people to help you make a personal decision like that," he said.

"I knew it was my time to go and I believe my decision is the right one."

Johnson revealed that he began considering his future after the World Cup victory, but telling England coach Sir Clive Woodward his decision was an emotional moment.

He said he had told Woodward in a telephone call almost two weeks ago, and that Woodward had not tried to change his mind.

"I don't know whether he expected it or not but he had said that he would support the players, whatever decision they made.

"It is not my decision about who should get the England captaincy but there are a lot of good players there who have captained the team before and I'm sure that whoever gets the job will get the respect of the players," he said.

Have Your Say: Who should replace Johnson?

Johnson also paid tribute to the team-mates he played alongside.

"I'm lucky to have had the chance to play on some great teams and with some great players and we have won games together and also lost them together.

"You never want to not play for England but you have to be sensible and realistic and realise that it is the right thing to do.

"You go with what you feel is the right decision.

"It's not about the number of caps or anything like that."

Match report: Leicester 49-7 Ulster

He will now concentrate on playing for Leicester, who got back on track in the European Cup with a 49-7 success over former winners Ulster.

"I haven't thought how much longer I want to play for Leicester," he admitted.

"After last week's defeat in Belfast I didn't think it would be too long but we had a huge turnaround today.

"I will just go with what I feel and when I stop enjoying it and can't maintain that level I will know."