 Johnson was the last England captain to win in Australia or New Zealand
England manager Martin Johnson has warned his team to steer clear of any off-field controversy during their tour to Australia and New Zealand in June. Four England players were at the centre of allegations of sexual assault during the last tour to New Zealand in 2008. And Johnson said his players must focus only on rugby matters. "There will be distractions and potential areas to get embroiled in. There are pitfalls and some could be put there deliberately," he said. "We'll be together for three-and-a-half weeks in hostile territory, staying in different hotels and city centre locations. "Day-in, day-out the guys will face these pitfalls when they are out and about in big cities.  | They are under a lot of pressure as it is, they've got to enjoy themselves. They have to be trusted England manager Martin Johnson |
"I don't think they will be targets but this is the world we live in. People have cameras on their phones these days." After England's first Test defeat by New Zealand in June 2008, several players found themselves the subject of sexual assault allegations after bringing women back to the team hotel following a visit to an Auckland nightclub. No formal complaint was made to police and a subsequent Rugby Football Union investigation cleared the players. Harlequins full-back Mike Brown and London Irish winger Topsy Ojo were found guilty of misconduct and fined for staying out all night. The RFU has since agreed a new code of conduct to prevent similar episodes, including banning players from bringing women back to the team hotel. "The guys who were there have their own experiences," said Johnson at the conclusion of a three-day pre-tour training camp. "Now it's telling them about what is expected and the potential pitfalls. "We have touched on it this week, although we've mainly kept discussions on the rugby. "In the majority of these cases guys are in the wrong place at the wrong time. And because they are who they are, it grabs the headlines. If it was a normal member of the public, it wouldn't even register." However, Johnson was keen to stress that he did not want to remove the fun of players socialising on tour with their team-mates. | 606: DEBATE |
"Have we changed the post-match routine? We'll put in place the right measures and make the players aware," he said. "I want them to enjoy being a rugby player. Part of that is enjoying going out with your team-mates at the right time, in the right place and in the right way. "They are under a lot of pressure as it is, they've got to enjoy themselves. They have to be trusted." After playing the Barbarians at Twickenham on 30 May, England travel to Australia to play two midweek games against the Australian Barbarians (in Perth on 8 June and Gosford on 15 June), and two Tests against the Wallabies (in Perth on 12 June and Sydney on 19 June). They complete their tour with a game against the New Zealand Maori in Napier on 23 June. England have only ever beaten the Wallabies twice on Australian soil, once in Melbourne before the 2003 World Cup, and memorably in the final later than year. But World Cup-winning captain Johnson believes his 44-man squad has the potential and to shock Robbie Deans's side, ranked number three in the world, on home turf. "You have to raise your game in the southern hemisphere but we always want to improve," added Johnson, who is set to name his tour captain next week after giving injured captain Steve Borthwick the summer off to recover from a knee injury. "We showed in our last Six Nations match in Paris that we can get it right and create opportunities. "We want to play at the right times, to the conditions and the referee. You have to get the balance right on any given day. "It's understanding what is the right time to play and executing it. But we want to go and be positive."
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