Before he utters a sound, his presence alone almost justifies how he went on to win 84 caps and lead England to World Cup glory in 2003.
A fool would have doubted his credentials to take over from Brian Ashton in April 2008.
But at times that is exactly what has happened, and perhaps justifiably so, as his record as manager has not matched that of his playing days so far.
Johnson has presided over 23 Tests, winning nine of them, but the general consensus is his England sides have massively disappointed against tougher opposition.
But there is a new-found optimism as England embark on the autumn internationals, as a respectable series draw down under against the Wallabies saw a new generation of test players stand up to the plate.
Ben Youngs, Tom Croft, Courtney Lawes, Chris Ashton and Ben Foden all represent the future, and Johnson believes they are all the better for it after coming through some testing encounters.
“The team have been through some tough games and this has been important in their development together,” he said.
“With the games coming up we will be in a better position working towards New Zealand (in 2011).
“There are a lot of players in the group under the age of 25 and playing against some tough sides they’ll be all the better for it.
“We have seen in the last year a transition with players coming through and deserving to be there in a very competitive squad.”
The RFU’s Director of Elite Rugby, Rob Andrew, has always stood by his man and at the launch of England’s new partnership with rugby fashion label Eden Park this week was once again issuing him his backing.
But Johnson remains defiant and believes he is the man to lead his charges into the World Cup.
He said: “I don't think I need that vote of confidence because it is my job to manage the team and get the best possible results.
“We know we have to regularly play as we did in Sydney to challenge the best teams in the world.
“There will be defeats between now and the World Cup, unless it goes brilliantly well, and it’s how you deal with them.
“We need to keep reminding ourselves we can get confidence from good performances and if we do that the results should follow.”
For Johnson, it is not just the younger players England fans should be excited about, and believes he has sufficient experience and leadership in his squad going forward.
He remains hopeful of welcoming back his skipper Lewis Moody from an eye injury, but believes he has several options available to him should he not.
“The good thing is that we have a group of guys and could pick any one of them to be captain,” he said.
“We have a core of senior players who could all do a job. If you rely on one player, this is always a danger.”
