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Former coach Martin Johnson warns England not to make same disciplinary mistakes

Former England captain and coach Martin Johnson warns England not to make the same mistakes as 2011 at this year's Rugby World Cup.

Martin Johnson has urged England not to repeat the same mistakes at this year's Rugby World Cup that plagued the team when he was head coach in 2011.

England players were disciplined for making derogatory comments toward a female hotel worker, and Manu Tuilagi was fined by the RFU and warned by police after jumping off a ferry.

"It's not rocket science is it? Don't get into trouble," Johnson told BBC Sport. "You have to know what the line is between right and wrong. Ultimately when you go there [to a World Cup] you have to be able to trust everyone.

"I think the players know where the line is and they know what they need to be doing or not doing."

Coach Stuart Lancaster has already dropped Tuilagi and Dylan Hartley. Centre Tuilagi was arrested by police for assault and criminal damage, while Hartley received a four-week ban for headbutting an opponent.

"They are young guys, and part of it is letting your hair down a little bit. But it is more difficult to do that now. Everyone has a camera and you can construe one situation as something different," he added.

"Your memories as a player are both on and off the field, and I feel sorry in a way for some of them because it is easy for someone to try and deliberately catch you out. It's a bit unfortunate, but that's the way it is."

The RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie recently sought Johnson's advice about how to avoid disciplinary problems this time around.

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Danny Cipriani of England goes over to score his try during the RBS Six Nations match between England and Italy at Twickenham Stadium on February 14, 2015
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