尊敬（する）・点
Ian Wooldridge
Last updated at 00:00 17 November 2003
MARTIN JOHNSON has been this way before. On the evening of July 14, 2001, in this same 非常に高い Sydney Olympic stadium, he did something I have never seen an international 冒険的な captain do before or since.
That night he was 主要な the British Lions in the third all-to-play-for 実験（する） match against Australia. The Lions lost in the dying minutes of a tumultuous 遭遇（する）.
As his men trudged off, 長，率いるs 負かす／撃墜する, shoulders 低迷d, Johnson walked in the opposite direction to the centre-field podium where the トロフィー had just been 現在のd to his …に反対するing captain. A hush fell over the 84,000 議会 at this curious 出発 from 条約.
Johnson politely signalled to the announcer to 手渡す him the public 演説（する）／住所 microphone, その結果 he turned to the 15,000 Lions 支持者s who had paid small fortunes to follow his team to the 底（に届く） of the world and made this simple six-word speech: 'Sorry to have let you 負かす／撃墜する.' This was no facile 外交.
He meant each word of it; 敗北・負かす had gutted him. He felt an 陳謝 was 予定. It wasn't, of course, because this was only sport, not some 戦時 敗北・負かす with 大規模な 死傷者s, but it was a fascinating insight into the mind of a man who regards elevation to the captaincy of his country as a not far from sacred 責任／義務.
To many, 昇進／宣伝 to captain England at anything is the stairway to personal 商業の 開発／利用, 新規採用 to the A-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） of motivational （衆議院の）議長s who can 警官，（賞などを）獲得する 続けざまに猛撃するs 10,000 a time for chatting over dinner to aspiring 商売／仕事 (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs, 受託 to minimally the B-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） of social celebrities with, maybe, a Buckingham Palace gong or even a tap on the shoulder for good 手段.
It is palpably obvious that 非，不，無 of these baubles deflects the 集中 of this 抱擁する, sombre, enigmatic man who, before yesterday's semifinal victory over フラン, 認める: 'いつかs I feel I've got the 負わせる of my world on my shoulders.' The television cameras twice c aught him in の近くに-up, 登録（する）ing his reactions during this 批判的な go-for-broke match.
注目する，もくろむs screwed up, 長，率いる shaking, he was 荒廃させるd by an appalling England 失敗 that gave フラン the 刑罰，罰則 適切な時期 that could have put them in 早期に 支配（する）／統制する of 訴訟／進行s. He was 荒廃させるd.
The 刑罰，罰則 was 行方不明になるd.
Then afterwards in interview, fulsomely congratulated, he half-smiled 簡潔に and paid 尊敬の印 to his team. There was no triumphalism. The 職業 isn't over yet. Another 拷問d, agonising week lies ahead before same southern 半球
stadium, against the same 対抗者s as in 2001 he leads his country into the last 広大な／多数の／重要な challenge of his career: The World Cup Final.
England's rugby players have never won one yet.
I don't pretend to know the inner workings of ツバメ Johnson's mind.
FEW do, outside his family and those within the 塀で囲むs of the England dressing room すぐに before the kick-off of a monumental game. But it is said that the final 要点説明s of this 公然と laconic man are such masterpieces of inspiration, rehearsed for days, that they would die for him.
It is called '尊敬（する）・点'.
Hopefully no one will die in the World Cup Final and hopefully there will be no deja-vu of what happened on that 驚くべき／特命の／臨時の July evening in Sydney a little more than two years ago.
