MARTIN JOHNSON made a noble exit from Twickenham after taking the decision to stand down as England team manager on his own terms.

Johnson does leave the Rugby Football Union harbouring a frustrating sense of “unfinished business” after England’s failed Rugby World Cup campaign.

But with no guarantees he would have been retained by elite rugby director Rob Andrew once the RFU’s review process was completed, Johnson took the decision to bow out.

England’s quarter-final exit from the World Cup was short of their minimum target and Johnson admitted the off-field scandals which dogged the campaign had not helped.

But England’s 2003 World Cup-winning captain refused to blame the players. He leaves the job with no excuses and proud of the legacy he will leave.

“I think there will be a part of me that regrets leaving the job in these circumstances, of course. There’s a bit of a feeling of unfinished business because you like to put right the things that need to be put right,” Johnson said.

“This is not a knee-jerk decision, it’s a considered, thoughtful decision I have come to.

“I’ve tried to take the whole picture into consideration and not just what happened in the tournament. At the World Cup we lost a game, we weren’t good enough. That will always be a disappointment.

“I think on the field we made huge strides. We’ve probably had our most successful season in terms of wins, with 10 out of 13.

“There are a dozen or so players we have brought in over the last 18 months who are now established international players.

“They have been through quite a bit and are in a good place to take forward it in the future.”

The highlights of Johnson’s 38-Test tenure would be England’s first Six Nations title since 2003 and the back-to-back victories over Australia in 2010.

Johnson was recruited by the RFU in 2008 to “instil a discipline and direction in the squad”, according to then-chairman Martyn Thomas who pushed through the appointment.

Mike Tindall, Chris Ashton, James Haskell and Manu Tuilagi were all disciplined for incidents during the World Cup which undermined Johnson’s leadership.

Johnson chose to publicly defend Tindall following the now-infamous drunken night in Queenstown, even when his former team-mate apologised for misleading the England management.

Johnson revealed for the first time yesterday the incident did contribute to Tindall’s omission from the quarter-final against France.

Tindall has since been fined £25,000 and dropped from the England squad following an RFU investigation, although he has indicated he will appeal that decision.

Haskell and Ashton were both hit with suspended £5000 fines for an incident at the team hotel in Dunedin and Tuilagi was fined £3000 for jumping from a ferry into Auckland harbour.

Johnson said: “I wasn’t let down (by the players). We were a team together,” Johnson said.

“Obviously the off-the-field things during the World Cup didn’t help. We had a couple of isolated incidents early in the tour that were dealt with internally. Manu at the end didn’t help.

“It’s not about me and my sadness, any sadness is where the team is perceived at the moment.”