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Johnson makes his England debut at the age of 22 in the 16-15 Five Nations win over France in January 1993

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The summer of 1993 sees his Lions debut in the final two Tests of the unsuccessful tour of New Zealand

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The giant lock becomes a regular in the England side and enjoys Grand Slam success in the 1995 Five Nations campaign

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June 1997 sees him lead from the front, captaining the Lions to a memorable 2-1 series victory in South Africa

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"Johnno" is made England captain in June 1999, but suffers a World Cup quarter-final defeat to South Africa in October

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In May 2001 he captains his club Leicester to their first Heineken Cup win with a 34-30 win over Stade Francais

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Johnson becomes the first player ever to skipper two Lions tours in 2001, but the team lose the series 2-1 in Australia

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With Johnson at the helm, England clinch the 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam after an emphatic 42-6 victory in Ireland

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In June 2003 he leads England to the their first success against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil for 30 years

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Johnson's career reaches its pinnacle with a dramatic 20-17 win over hosts Australia in the 2003 World Cup final

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After much speculation, Johnson quits international rugby but continues to play for his club Leicester Tigers

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At the age of 34 he decides to call it quits and bows out of rugby with a star-studded testimonial at Twickenham