Since winning the Rugby World Cup in 2003, England have struggled to impose themselves on a regular basis against the southern hemisphere's heavyweight triumvirate of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and they have also flattered to deceive on far too many occasions in the Six Nations.

After Sir Clive Woodward quit as coach England have experimented with Andy Robinson, Brian Ashton and now Martin Johnson at the helm, with varying degrees of success.

France, Ireland and Wales, in stark contrast, have made rapid strides, while the English national team faltered, with off-field issues hampering progress.

Rob Andrew's position as Elite Rugby Director has at times been brought into question by critics, but his masterstroke may yet prove to be the appointment of Johnson, a giant of a man who has been there, done it and has the medals to prove it after a stellar playing career with Leicester and England.

Taciturn he may be, but Johnson expects his squad to sweat blood in England's cause and there are signs that he is on the right path as England look to re-establish themselves as one of the game's superpowers.

It has undoubtedly been a steep learning curve for the man known simply to all and sundry as "Johnno" but he is not a man conversant with failure and when he took the job he would have been well aware that a "quick fix" was unlikely. And so it is proving to be.

With the 2011 Rugby World Cup still some time away, Johnson has time on his hands to get things right and despite recent travails there is no doubt that he has a wealth of talent at his disposal. All that is required now is to find a consistent winning blend.