“There’s no doubt that Richard Hill was most consistent player I ever played with,” said Johnson. 

“But if you say that, people imagine a guy who was very steady. Richard was a guy who was performing at a world level quicker than anyone else and he continued at that level for his entire career.

“He was playing right at the top level every time he played. He was outstanding in that regard."

Johnson recalled one occasion that he said summed up the measure of the man. “I remember one match, I think his 200th game for the club. Leicester were comfortably ahead of Saracens, which was unusual for us at Vicarage Road, and Hilly had a dead leg.

“It was just before the Six Nations, so I said to him ‘you should get yourself off’. But he stayed on until the end, even though the match was effectively a lost cause.

"It’s those sorts of moments that fellow players most appreciate.”