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London. Winning isn’t everything for England manager Martin Johnson — it’s the only thing.

And that may explain the World Cup-winning captain’s annoyance that an England team aiming to complete the third leg of a Six Nations Grand Slam, against defending champions Ireland at Twickenham here on Saturday, still faces sustained criticism for its style of play.

“When you win games you don’t have to make apologies for how you do it, although we seem to have to,” Johnson, with considerable feeling for a former lock, said this week.

However, England only sparked into try-scoring form against Wales when their opponents were reduced to 14 men and then squandered numerous chances against an Italy team once more facing a wooden spoon battle.

The charge against Johnson’s team, and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, whose usually impeccable goalkicking let him down in Rome, is that England need to do more if they are to defeat leading sides such as Ireland.

When England has enjoyed sustained success a strong pack has been supported by steady half-backs with a playmaking center such as Clive Woodward in the early 1980s, Jeremy Guscott in the 1990s and, in Johnson’s World Cup-winning side, the under-rated Will Greenwood.

Mathew Tait, England’s lone try-scorer in Rome, appears the heir to that tradition yet much of England’s tactical kicking in Rome was aimless, while too many chances were squandered for comfort.

Meanwhile, ever cautious Ireland coach Declan Kidney observed: “Last year there was some negative press over England but they still finished second in the Championship.”

Johnson, keen to avoid England playing an open game just to placate their critics, did suggest his unchanged side — although wing Mark Cueto had a stomach bug on Thursday — understood the need for flexibility against Ireland.

“If we have to kick for 80 minutes on the day to win, we’ll do it; if we have to run the ball for 80 minutes, we’ll do it,” he said.

Another question concerns how Ireland will respond to a crushing 33-10 defeat by France in Paris that put paid to their bid for a second successive Grand Slam and ended a 12-match unbeaten run.

Ireland’s “golden generation” lost much of its luster against a younger, sharper and more powerful France team.

Even Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll was reduced to the status of a rugby mortal by the tournament leaders and the centre admitted there could be some lingering damage.

“We feel we’re going in the right direction but all you need is one bad result and that’s what happened in Paris,” O’Driscoll said. “If you’ve previously been carried away, that sort of result can inhibit your future.”

Rugby

Agence France-Presse