Speaker Profile

He is the only man to lead the British Lions on two tours, including the magnificent series win over the world champion Springboks and the only man from the Northern hemisphere to have lifted the William Webb Ellis Cup

Martin Johnson is a living rugby legend and one of England’s greatest-ever players.

As captain of England he led his country to victory over the mighty southern hemisphere trio of the All Blacks, Australia and in South Africa and, in 2003, to the longed-for Six Nations Grand Slam. He helped turn Leicester Tigers into the world’s most successful side, with back-to-back European titles the crowning glories of a victorious decade.

An intensely private person, Johnson’s glowering on-field persona masks the shy, wry and thoughtful man his friends and family recognise. His presentation takes the audience behind the scenes in the England camp, examines the line between acceptable and unacceptable violence in his sport, and gives his views on modern rugby and its future.