LONDON -- Martin Johnson resigned as England manager on Wednesday, unwilling to recommit to the team in the wake of a shambolic Rugby World Cup campaign overshadowed by indiscretions on and off the pitch. C.J. Spiller Youth Jersey . "Its in the best interests of myself and the England team that I dont carry on into next year," Johnson said at a news conference at Twickenham. Appointed without any coaching experience in 2008, he didnt want to renew his contract which expires in December. A series of lurid headlines followed England around New Zealand before a limp quarterfinal exit against France in October. "Ive tried to take emotion out of a lot of (the decision) and the disappointment," Johnson said. "The off-the-field things during the World Cup didnt help. They portray the team in a bad light, and not an accurate light. "This is my call, and if I hadnt made it someone might have made it for me." Johnson was referring to two reviews by the Rugby Football Union into the World Cup campaign, which included his debrief last week with his assistants. The first findings are to be revealed on Thursday, and they arent expected to be kind to Johnson. He didnt act decisively on the indiscretions in New Zealand even though he said he would before the tournament. On Wednesday he said he didnt feel let down by the players in New Zealand and believed the off-field issues didnt affect their game preparations. He did everything on his terms, he said, and had no interference from the RFU throughout his tenure and at the World Cup. He said hed considered his options before the World Cup, so this was "not a knee-jerk decision, but a considerate, thoughtful decision." Still, he took more than five weeks to make up his mind, leaving RFU elite rugby director Rob Andrew little time to find a replacement who will have to pick an elite squad in the first week of January for the Six Nations starting in February. Former South Africa coach Nick Mallett said he was approached by the RFU this week about the prospect of taking charge but decided against taking the job. "I will not be making myself available for the position and I have disclosed this to the RFU," he said. But former Australia coach Eddie Jones is keen on the job. "Youd always be interested in coaching England," he told the BBC. "Over the last period of time England rugby has lost its way and youd have to question the people in place now. That is the challenge of getting it right. If you get it right, the benefits are absolutely enormous." Andrew admitted he was also accountable for Englands World Cup debacle but said he wasnt resigning. Johnson, he added, "did a terrific job in pretty difficult circumstances." Andrew said Johnson rebuilt almost the entire team into Six Nations champions. Johnson added he was excited for the teams future, and they would be better off for what they went through at the World Cup. "Part of me regrets leaving the job in these circumstances," he said. "There is unfinished business and a feeling to put things right. But I wont leave with any regrets." The 6-foot-8 (2.03 metre) Johnson made 84 appearances for England, 39 of them as captain, before replacing Brian Ashton, who led England to the 2007 World Cup final. "Johnno didnt have the CV to do the job but the RFU backed him and he backed himself and unfortunately and regrettably he came up short," Johnsons former England teammate Jeremy Guscott told the BBC. Johnson had hoped a relaxed regime for his squad would help them emulate his 2003 World Cup triumph, but it spectacularly backfired. Johnsons team lost 19-12 to the French in the quarterfinals after struggling to narrow pool victories over Argentina and Scotland. Mike Tindall, Chris Ashton, James Haskell and Manu Tuilagi were all disciplined for incidents that undermined Johnsons leadership. The first major incident to be exposed came early in the tournament when captain Tindall was captured on security footage holding a womans hand and receiving a kiss on top of his head at a Queenstown bar. That made front-page news because the 2003 World Cup-winning centre had just married Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth IIs granddaughter. He has since been dropped from the national squad and fined 25,000 pounds ($40,000). Three players were also reprimanded for making sexist comments to a Dunedin hotel worker on the trip that culminated in Tuilagi being detained by police after jumping off a ferry into Auckland harbour the day after the France loss. England also narrowly avoided being punished by World Cup organizers when the RFU voluntarily stood down two assistant coaches amid a ball-switching scandal in the 67-3 win against Romania. The highlight of Johnsons 38-test tenure as manager came earlier this year with Englands first Six Nations title since 2003. His overall record since he took control for the 2008 autumn internationals was 21 victories, 16 defeats and one draw. Marques Colston Jersey . -- Ernie Els hardly ever catches a break at the Match Play Championship. Archie Manning Womens Jersey . CSN New England reports that the team is interested in Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, whom they reportedly tried to acquire last off-season.SAN JOSE, Calif. - Milos Raonic is one step closer to defending his SAP Open title. The 21-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 7-6 (3) win over South Africas Kevin Anderson on Friday. The match featured two heavy hitters. Raonic had 16 aces in the match, while Anderson had 14. Down 5-4 in the first set, Raonic drew level by winning the 10th game with a 207 km/h ace. He broke Anderson in the next game when Anderson hit the net to end a 13-shot rally for game point. One game later, Raonic took the set with a 220 km/h ace. Both players held serve throughout the second set, which needed a tiebreaker to decide. Raonic raced out to an early 6-1 lead, then finished off the tiebreaker with a 196 km/h serve that Anderson couldnt return. Raonic will face Ryan Harrison of the United States in Saturdays semifinal. Harrison, looking for his first win on the ATP Tour advanced with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Bulgarias Dimitar Kutrovsky. Andy Roddicks return from injury lasted all of two matches, losing to Uzbekistans Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-4. Hobbled by a fresh right ankle sprain and a troublesome hamstring that forced his retirement from last months Australian Open, Roddick lost every point in his first service game and never regained his rhythm. He slammed one racket, broke another, sailed a ball into the stands in frustration, argued with the chhair umpire and even shouted at his own box. Shayne Graham Womens Jersey. Already slowed by injuries, Roddick struggled to cover the court against an opponent that found every angle. He dropped the first four points on his usual stout serve before saving three break points in his second service game. At 3-1 and 30-all, Istomins shot caught the tape, flicking past Roddick for a winner that the American simply shook his head at. After Istomin smacked a crosscourt forehand winner for a second break to go ahead 4-1, Roddick dropped his racket. When Roddick netted a ball in the next game, he sent a ball soaring into the black curtain behind the far grandstand, receiving a misconduct warning from chair umpire Steve Ullrich -- which infuriated Roddick more. Roddick asked the umpire if the warning was for racket abuse. Ullrich told him it was for the "ball." Roddick responded, "I challenge you on that." The exchange was about the most fight Roddick put up all night. The 29-year-old American also slammed a racket to the ground after hitting another shot into the net at 40-30 and 1-all, yelling out profanity in the process. Roddick regrouped to go ahead 2-1, pumping his fist and screaming, "Come on!" Istomin will play Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who rallied to beat Belgiums Steve Darcis 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. -- With files from The Associated Press. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
