Johnson convinced Dons will make big impact in 2026

Luis Johnson may only have been with the Dons a short while but he is convinced his team mates are primed to make a big impact in the Betfred Championship next term.

The second row has signed on for the 2026 campaign, having spent the last couple of months with the Dons following his return from a long-term injury.

And he believes the experiences of the group in the second tier over the last two campaigns means they are ready to take significant strides forward.

“I think the group has had a bit more experience with the bigger teams and the bigger games,” the 26-year-old said. “We know how to stay in the games longer and do what it takes to win them.

“It’ll be down to a bit more consistency from the team as well but we’re in a good place.

“Speaking with the boys, they wanted to finish top six last season and just missed out. But when you take the year before and the year before that, we’ve climbed up the ladder as a club quite a bit so we should be proud.

“I feel we put a lot of pressure on ourselves but it’s a good thing because pressure is a privilege to have and we’ll be doing the same this year.”

The five games in which Johnson featured for the Dons last term were significant for the forward following 11 months on the sidelines with an ACL injury.

And it has left him raring to go for the start of training in mid-November.

“For once, I can’t wait to start pre-season,” he said. “I’ll be playing catch-up so I’ll be giving my all in pre-season and putting my best foot forward.

“I want to be consistently playing and to just enjoy myself because when I enjoy myself, I play my best rugby.

“I played a lot of minutes at the end of last season to say that I’d been out for such a long time and I really enjoyed myself. That’s why I want to be here.”