Johnson is determined to do better
Recalled Kiwis playmaker Shaun Johnson may have lost his test jumper last week, but his sense of humour has clearly remained intact.
The Cronulla Sharks club man was asked yesterday what Kiwis coach Michael Maguire had been saying to him at training ahead of Saturday’s second test against Great Britain in Christchurch.
‘‘Main [message was] don’t play s..t and you stay in the team . . . pretty simple really,’’ Johnson quipped.
Maguire said on Tuesday that Johnson’s recall would be
‘‘a good test of character’’ and he was seeking more consistency from the 31-test half at OrangeTheory Stadium this weekend.
Johnson, who was dropped after an indifferent display in a 26-4 loss to Australia a fortnight ago, didn’t disagree, and stressed there was no bad feeling between him and his coach.
‘‘We are constantly talking, we’ve got a great relationship.
‘‘We have got certain standards around our footy side and I didn’t meet those in the Australia game. I have got certain standards around my performance . . . I know whether I have met them or not.’’
Johnson said while he ‘‘wouldn’t say I’ve got a point to prove’’ he was his ‘‘own worst critic’’.
‘‘I’ve got certain standards I want to be playing at. That’s what I’m looking at doing this weekend and if I did that then everyone will be happy.’’
The Kiwis beat Great Britain 12-8 in the first test in Auckland last week after ‘‘a bit of a dogfight’’, Johnson said.
‘‘It couldn’t be any better for us to have a win like that [after the loss to Australia]. It wasn’t pretty at all, apart from Roger’s freakish effort,’’ he said of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s match-sealing try.
Johnson said the Kiwis were aware Great Britain would be desperate to end their tour on a winning note after losses to Australia, Tonga and the Kiwis in successive weeks. He said the Kiwis understood that from personal experience, referring to ‘‘being in the UK last year’’ where England won the first two tests before the Kiwis triumphed in the third test,
34-0.
Johnson stressed it was ‘‘important for us to finish the year’’ on a high note on Saturday, saying he personally did not want the Australian game to be the ‘‘last taste in my mouth for the off-season’’.
Maguire recalled Johnson after losing another experienced half Kieran Foran to a shoulder injury in the opening five minutes at Eden Park.
Foran, who will need a shoulder reconstruction, and Johnson are one-time Warriors clubmates and have had a long association in the Kiwis.
Johnson is determined to do his mate proud on Saturday night and looks forward to playing alongside him in the Kiwis next year, ‘‘or the year after’’.
Johnson said he had trained hard last week ‘‘to get myself ready just in case’’.
He said it had been inspirational to see Foran’s ‘‘resilience’’ in recovering from physical and personal challenges in recent years to win back his Kiwis place.
‘‘A lot of people don’t see it and wouldn’t understand [but] I’m confident he’s going to bounce back.’’