Jonny Wilkinson

At 44 years old, Jonny Wilkinson has this physical status:

Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, CBE (born 25 May 1979), is an English former rugby union player.

He competed for Newcastle Falcons and Toulon, and he also played for England and the British and Irish Lions.

He is best known for scoring the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final, and is widely regarded as one of the best rugby union players of all time.

He moved to Toulon, where he has won two Heineken Cups and one Top 14 crown in five seasons.

Wilkinson earned 91 caps for England.

He was an integral part of the England squad that defeated the 2003 World Cup, winning by a single point over Australia in the final minute.

He recovered from multiple injuries and was a member of the England team that reached the final of the 2007 World Cup.

He travelled with the British and Irish Lions twice, from Australia to New Zealand in 2005, winning 6 caps. At the end of the 2013-14 season, he retired from rugby.

He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.

Wilkinson is currently a studio pundit for ITV Sport, covering the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cup, and other rugby events.

Early life

Wilkinson was born in Frimley, Surrey, on May 25th, 1979, and he grew up in Farnham. He attended Pierrepont School, Frensham, and Lord Wandsworth College in Hook, Hampshire, and competed for Farnham Rugby Club at the youth level.

He earned a degree at the University of Durham but left in 1997 to play for the Newcastle Falcons as a professional rugby unionist.

Personal life

Mark Wilkinson's brother, who made 16 appearances in the Premiership between 2002 and 2005, mainly as a center. Phil, Phil's father, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level.

Wilkinson married Shelley Jenkins, a scaffolding company heiress, in a private ceremony at the town hall of Toulon on October 28, 2013. Only two people, one of whom was Wilkinson's mother, attended the service officiated by Bandol mayor Christian Palix, who said that "both [are] treated with utmost reverence" in the neighborhood.

Wilkinson unveiled Fineside, an online men's fashion store, in September 2011.

According to an interview with Wilkinson, he used Buddhist principles and teachings to help curb his perfectionist tendencies.

Wilkinson prefers to live intentionally rather than reactively, and he believes in all the positive aspects of humanity, including acceptance, compassion, and a genuine human touch.

Wilkinson is well-known as a teetotaler, but he relapsed after England lost to South Africa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final. Wilkinson prefers to eat organic foods rather than toxic ones.

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Career

Wilkinson began his rugby career at Newcastle School of Rugby as an insider, competing for a position with international veterans such as Inga Tuigamala and Lion Alan Tait. He was a fixture on a team that went on to win the 1997-98 Allied Dunbar Premiership title. He was in the full England Test squad by March 1998. Wilkinson began his international career as an unneeded replacement against Scotland before being recalled by Mike Catt to play on the wing against Ireland on April 4, 1998; he was only 18.

He appeared on England's "Tower of Hell" in June 1998, which culminated in humiliating losses to both New Zealand and Australia (who defeated them 76-0). Wilkinson returned to domestic duties by replacing Rob Andrew, who was later made Falcons head coach (later Director of Rugby), as both their fly-half and goal kicker. Wilkinson made a name for himself in the England squad and started playing in all of England's games in the 1999 Five Nations Championship. In 1999, he was playing for the Falcons in their bitterness against London Wasps.

As the 1999 Rugby World Cup began, Wilkinson played for England, Australia, the United States, and Canada. In the 67–7 victory, he made his Rugby World Cup debut against Italy, scoring on his first try, converting another six, and landing five penalty goals to total 32 points. He was rested against Tonga after losing by England 101–10. Wilkinson was relegated to the bench for the quarter-finals against South Africa after beating Fiji in the quarter-finals. England lost the game by 44–21 and eventually dropped out of the tournament. Following the match, Clive Woodward refused to expand on his pick choices at the time, and some commentators criticized the head coach's inconsistency in team pick as jeopardizing England's World Cup hopes.

Wilkinson appeared in all five of England's 2000 Six Nations Championship matches the following year. England gained the title but then lost their last match against Scotland. Wilkinson won 27-22 in Bloemfontein before heading to South Africa with England in June 2000, kicking all of the points. During the end of-year internationals, he captained England three times.

England defeated the Six Nations Championships for the second time in 2001. Wilkinson set a new Six Nations Championship scoring record against Italy on February 17th, surpassing Rob Andrew's record of overtaking Newcastle Falcons mentorship. With the exception of the Irish match, which was postponed until October, England won all of their subsequent matches during the tournament.

Wilkinson's victory in the Six Nations had more success after the Falcons secured the Powergen Cup: the Falcons defeated Harlequins by three points after a late Newcastle try, 30–27. Wilkinson was chosen first choice fly-half and goal kicker for the 2001 British Lions tour to Australia as a result of Neil Jenkins' injury and a lack of fitness. In Brisbane, the Lions won their first test over Australia by 29–13, with Wilkinson scoring nine points from his kicking.

The Lions lost 35-14 at the Docklands Stadium in their second test on July 7th. Many people blamed Wilkinson for a long pass inside his 22 that had been intercepted by Joe Roff: this was seen as the game's turning point and possibly the test sequence. Wilkinson sustained his leg and was stretched off the pitch during the match. The injury was thought to be life threatening, but he made a complete recovery before the third and final examination on July 14th. Wilkinson's attempt at the start of the second half made sure he tied for the Lions' highest individual scoring total in a Test with 18 points.

In October, the incomplete 2001 Six Nations Championship came to an end, with England playing Ireland. At Lansdowne Road, England lost 20–14. Both Ireland and England had won four out of the five Six Nations tournaments, but England's superior points difference ensured they retained their position, not the Grand Slam. Wilkinson scored all of England's points in their 21–15 victory over Twickenham in a match against Australia for the Cook Cup in November. He then played a vital role in the Springboks' win, in which he kicked seven penalty goals in the 29-199 victory after being rested as an unused bench replacement in the subsequent match against Romania. England got off to a promising start in their 2002 Six Nations Championship with victories over Scotland and Ireland before losing to France at the Stade de France, taking home a third Six Nations title in a row. England defeated Wales and Italy in their remaining fixtures, but France followed them to complete a Grand Slam. In the 2001–02 Heineken Cup, the Falcons won one match and finished fourth in the pool.

In subsequent weekends, England faced Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa in the end-of-year assessments conducted in November 2002. Wilkinson was a central figure in England's victory over the All Blacks. He tried a try (although he later said that the chip he kicked over the New Zealand defence was actually meant for Jason Robinson to receive), and he kicked two conversions and three penalty goals, as well as a drop goal. Following their humiliation to Ireland, England met the 2002 Tri Nations Series champions, who came to Twickenham on the back of a humiliating loss to Ireland. England beat Australia by a single point after two tries by winger Ben Cohen and Wilkinson's kicking accuracy, which saw the team come back from a 19–31 deficit to defeat Australia by a single point. England went into the last test against South Africa with the possibility of beating the Big Three rugby nations of the Southern Hemisphere on subsequent weekends, as well as defeating the Springboks by 53–3. After 23 minutes for a late tackle on Wilkinson, Springbok Jannes Labuschagne was red-carded. Wilkinson was forced to leave the field early in the game due to a dislocated left shoulder. Wilkinson was reportedly targeted by South Africa during the game, according to the England camp. Matt Dawson, his half-back, was forced to miss the match due to an injury after being rammed by a Springbok player, who later wrote in his autobiography Nine Lives that he felt South Africa had started the game with the intention of injuring England players.

France, the reigning champions and Grand Slam champions, took on England in the first round of the 2003 Six Nations Championships. Following success in end-of-year experiments against countries from the Southern hemisphere, both teams were extremely upbeat. Many watched this game as the tournament's winner, and England defeated the match 25-17. England defeated Wales, Italy, and Scotland, making them the favorites to win the tournament, as well as a Grand Slam. Wilkinson was voted captain of the squad for the first time in his England career, as Martin Johnson was unable due to the birth of his first child. The last match was against Ireland at Lansdowne Road, and it would determine the tournament's champion and Grand Slam champion of 2003. England defeated Wales 46-0, becoming the 2003 champions and strong contenders for the forthcoming 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Wilkinson was named Man of the Match by the BBC.

Following the Six Nations, England began a tour of the Southern Hemisphere to visit New Zealand and Australia in June. England beat New Zealand 15-13 in Wellington on June 14th, with difficult weather. Wilkinson scored all 15 points. He was also a major factor in Australia's 25–14 victory over Australia a week later, the first time on Australian soil. England defeated France 45–14 in September, in which Wilkinson scored 18 points, and the World Cup was scheduled to begin in October. Wilkinson was England's youngest player in the World Cup squad.

England's first match at the 2003 World Cup was played at Subiaco Oval in Perth, where they defeated Georgia 84–6 with Wilkinson scoring 16 points from his goal kicking. He was a key figure in England's victory over the Springboks, in which he scored 20 of England's 25 points, but the Springboks lost by only six points. The next match against Samoa in Melbourne was surprisingly close for the number one-ranked rugby country against a supposed "minnow" of international competition, but England defeated Samoa 35–22. Wilkinson was unable to be involved in England's last victory over Uruguay. England finished at the top of Pool D, four points ahead of South Africa.

England advanced to the quarterfinals, where they met Wales at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Wilkinson went on to score 23 points in the game, which England defeated 28–17 to advance to the semi-finals after being aided by Catt's arrival at halftime. On two occasions, England defeated France, whom they had defeated earlier this year. England beat Wales 24-7, with Wilkinson scoring all of England's points by kicks. Wilkinson was given a pass and kicked a drop goal in extra time with only 26 seconds remaining in the final versus Australia, with the score standings level at 17-17. The last time Australia had lost a World Cup match was eight years ago, when Wilkinson's mentor Rob Andrew scored a drop goal at the stroke of full time to win the game for England. Wilkinson expressed relief at converting the winning drop goal after the match, his first victory in four attempts during the match. England won its first Rugby World Cup and snapped the Southern Hemisphere's dominance of the tournament. Wilkinson was the tournament's top point scorer with 113 points. He was named the year's best on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the 2003 IRB International Player of the Year.

Wilkinson was discovered to have a broken facet in his shoulder and skipped the 2004 Six Nations Championship and Australia's tragic tour. Lawrence Dallaglio, who had resigned five weeks earlier, was dubbed captain of the England team on October 4th, 2004. Nevertheless, he was kept out of the 2004 autumn internationals by a haematoma in his upper right arm, with Jason Robinson taking over the captaincy and then Martin Corry. In a match against Perpetua in January 2005, he suffered his medial knee ligament injury. He missed the first two matches of the 2005 Six Nations Championship, but on his return to Newcastle on March 13, 2005, he sustained the same knee.

He had played a total of 937.5 minutes of competitive rugby union in nearly 18 months, but he was also given the opportunity to prove his endurance for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Wilkinson was initially left out of Clive Woodward's 44-strong squad, which was revealed on April 11, 2005. However, Woodward reported on May 8 that he had added the fly-half to the squad after Wilkinson demonstrated he was injury-free and fit. Wilkinson made his first international appearance since the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final in Cardiff on May 23nd as the Lions defeated Argentina. Wilkinson, as well as the rest of the team, failed, but he salvaged a 25-25 draw with a conversion and six penalties.

Wilkinson's next international appearance came in the Lions' first match against New Zealand, starting at inside center. In their sweeping 21–3 loss, Wilkinson scored the Lions' only points. He started in his normal fly-half position in the second test but was forced to withdraw from the third test due to a stinger injury. In the final test, Wilkinson was replaced by Stephen Jones.

Due to appendicitis, Wilkinson was forced to postponed participation in the Falcons' August pre-season games in Japan. Then sustained his injury in late November with surgery for a sportsman's hernia, which he himself attributed to his heavy training sessions, often involving long kicking sessions.

Wilkinson's summer tour was unlikely, and he would not be returning to England, according to Rob Andrew, then Director of Rugby at Falcons, there was no chance of him going on England's summer tour and that he would miss the summer. Despite missing two conversions, he showed his playmaker skills in the game against the Worcester Warriors on April 30th, in which he appeared in the entire second half. Andrew later said that Wilkinson should not tour during the summer to prolong his recovery time. Wilkinson was appointed captain in the Falcons' last 2005-06 Guinness Premiership game of the season on Saturday, convertin six of his team's eight tries in their 54–19 victory over Leeds Tykes.

In July, before the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership, Rob Andrew said Wilkinson will be up for a challenge for an England spot come the November internationals. Former Wallabies fullback Matt Burke was also granted captaincy by the Falcons, allowing Wilkinson to concentrate more on his game and a complete return to rugby. Andy Robinson, England's head coach, announced the Elite Player Squad for the 2006–07 season, in which Wilkinson was included.

Wilkinson was aided from the field after 47 minutes with a knee injury while one of his team members was tackled after being tackled. According to a scan, he had to tear the medial ligament of his right knee. In the 26-21 victory over Bristol on Friday, he converted, a drop-goal, and two penalties. Wilkinson sustained a laced kidney during the match, according to a news released on November 9th. In the Premiership game against Leicester Tigers on January 27, 2007, he recovered from this injury, but after 37 minutes, he came off the bench. Wilkinson was selected in England's 2007 Six Nations Championship opener against Scotland on January 29th. England thrashed Scotland 42-20 to regain the Calcutta Cup, Wilkinson making a nice comeback by scoring 27 points, two conversions, a drop goal, and a try. This tied for the first time in the Calcutta Cup individual record of 24, which was set by Rob Andrew. Wilkinson was named RBS Man of the Match by BBC commentator Brian Moore, who was also named RBS Man of the Match. Wilkinson scored 15 points in the following match against Italy at Twickenham, making him the highest individual point scorer in the Five/Six Nations' history with 421 points.

Despite another injury scare right before the match against Ireland on February 26th, Wilkinson scored 8 points in the game in which England defeated 43-13. Wilkinson did not participate in the two remaining Six Nations games against France and Wales due to the effects of a cramp that forced him to withdraw from the Premiership 38–12 loss to London Irish on March 3rd. He suffered a rib fracture that forced him to miss his fourth straight appearance for Newcastle in their 19–12 victory over Gloucester on April 13th.

Despite missing the season's last Premiership game against Bath, Wilkinson made the England squad for the summer tour and scored 5 points in the first test's tense loss to South Africa, defeating South Africa by 58–10. In the second test, England lost 55–22, he scored 17 points. Wilkinson had an exciting game in the 62-5 demolition of Wales in the first of three warm-up tests before the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, scoring 17 points (seven conversions and a penalty).

Wilkinson was not included in the teams for the first games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup against the United States and South Africa due to a non-contact ankle injury sustained in preparation. In the 44–22 victory over Samoa, he scored 24 points. He led England to victory over Tonga and pushed the team through to the quarter-finals. Wilkinson was England's top point scorer during England's 12–10 quarter final victory over Australia, in which he scored all of England's points, defeating Gavin Hastings of Scotland. In England's 14–9 victory over France, he continued to play a vital part in the team's World Cup defense by kicking 9 points, including a 40-meter drop goal in the dying minutes.

South Africa won the Webb Ellis Cup on Sunday, beating Wilkinson on 2 penalties but missing two drop kick attempts in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final, in a game where Wilkinson slotted home 2 penalties but missed two drop kick attempts. He was one of only four players to have played in both the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cup Finals, the other three being Phil Vickery, Jason Robinson, and Ben Kay.

Wilkinson was the logical pick as England's number 10 going into the 2008 Six Nations Championship and began the first four matches. Wilkinson scored 14 points against Wales on February 2, 2008, but England put in a weak showing to fall 19–26 after losing a 10-point lead at halftime. Wilkinson also won England's next two matches against Italy and France, defeating Italy and France by 27 points. Wilkinson's selection in the starting lineup was a disappointment against Scotland on March 8th, in which a number of the England squad's poor results raised concerns about his inclusion in the squad's starting lineup considering the new English talents at the number ten position. Danny Cipriani, 20, was the tournament's best back-up stand-off, as well as Charlie Hodgson), and Wilkinson was the replacement in the starting lineup for the final match of the tournament against Ireland. Wilkinson was only the second time he had been dropped to the bench in England's career (the first time being for the 1999 Rugby World Cup quarter final match against South Africa, which featured Paul Grayson). However, Wilkinson was called off the bench to replace Toby Flood in the second half of the Ireland match on March 15, thus playing alongside Cipriani at center stage. This is a potential solution to the dilemma of nurturing up-and-coming fly-halves while still incorporating the leading player in the position in recent years into the squad.

Lawrence Dallaglio, the Ireland national team's top 10, and rumors about Wilkinson's future as the England number 10, Lawrence Dallaglio said he will not allow him to Cipriani from now on: the element of competition that exists for the position is likely to inspire Wilkinson rather than discourage him.

Wilkinson finished the 2008 Six Nations as the tournament's best points scorer despite competition over his position, scoring 50 points. Due to a shoulder injury, Martin Johnson's first England squad (the 2008 summer tour of New Zealand) was not selected for his first England squad (the 2008 summer tour of New Zealand). Danny Cipriani was accompanied on the sidelines after the Wasps player had to miss out due to injury. Wilkinson was named in Martin Johnson's Elite Player Squad on July 1st, and he was the only specialist fly-half in the squad.

Wilkinson recovered from shoulder surgery to scoring 22 points on his return to Northampton on September 14, 2008, with a 45-meter last minute drop goal. Wilkinson was injury free and back to his best, according to further sparkling performances and solid play. In the Guinness Premiership match against Gloucester on September 30, 2008, the injury jinx was back again. Wilkinson was forced to leave the field with a dislocated knee, leaving him out of England's fall internationals and the remainder of the 2008-09 Guinness Premiership season. Danny Cipriani, who had recovered from a serious ankle injury on October 1, 2008, was recalled to the England squad for the Autumn Internationals due to Wilkinson's injury. Wilkinson had completed his 12 years with the Falcons to join Toulon, France, in May 2009.

After an 18-month absence, Wilkinson returned to international test rugby on November 7 against Australia on Saturday. He then went on to play consecutive games against Argentina on November 14 and New Zealand on November 21. England's most consistent performers, including Lewis Moody, when the team lost to Australia and New Zealand and barely beat Argentina. For the third game he was partnered with Ayoola Erinle at inside center, he was partnered with Shane Geraghty at inside center.

Wilkinson's international career was severely hindered due to a string of injuries, including his knee ligaments, arm, shoulder, and kidney. He did not appear for England again until 1,169 days after winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup in the first game of the 2007 Six Nations Championship against Scotland on February 3, 2007. Wilkinson scored 27 points (a record in the Calcutta Cup) in a full house (scoring points by both four alternate methods) and was named Man of the Match in his comeback international match, as well as Man of the Match.

He became the first point scorer in the Five/Six Nations Championship over the course of history against Italy last week (he has since been overtaken by Ronan O'Gara of Ireland). He also became the highest point scorer in the Rugby World Cup's history on October 6, 2007, kicking four goals to defeat Scotland's Gavin Hastings in a quarter-final against Australia on October 6, 2007.

Wilkinson made history by defeating Italy in 2008 Six Nations Championship match, becoming the first English player (and third overall) to score 1,000 Test points. He is also the world's highest drop goal scorer in international rugby, with a total of 36 goals. He became the highest international point scorer in March 2008, defeating Neil Jenkins of Wales. He was hospitalized in September 2008 and the 2008-09 Guinness Premiership season came to an end.

After a good run of games with Toulon, he was recalled into the England Elite Squad for the first time since the 2008 Six Nations Championship, and was announced in the squad for the 2009 Autumn Internationals. Wilkinson was then chosen to tour Australia with the elite squad, but Wilkinson was still not selected as the first choice fly half in the second test between England and Australia. In the process, he was forced to miss out on the 2010 autumn internationals after losing his position as the all-time top test scorer to Dan Carter. Wilkinson regained the trophy in 2011, but it was also during the 2011 Six Nations Championships, a tournament in which he came off the bench in each of England's five games. In July 2011, he tied Carter for the first time. He revealed his retirement from Test Rugby on December 12, 2011.

Wilkinson agreed to join Toulon on a two-year deal in May 2009, a transfer from Newcastle after 12 years.

Wilkinson played the full 80 minutes in Toulon's Heineken Cup quarter-Final, scoring all 21 points against Leicester Tigers in April 2013. Wilkinson defeated Owen Farrell's Saracens on 7 points and a drop goal. He scored 11 points as Toulon defeated the 2013 Heineken Cup Final by 16–15 over Clermont Auvergne in May 2013. Wilkinson was named the ERC European Player of the Year for the 2013 tournament, having not missed a single place kick in the knockouts with 17 from 17 attempts and finishing with 56 points in the knockouts alone and 108 points in the entire tournament.

He coached Toulon to a dramatic 23–6 victory over Saracens in the 2014 Heineken Cup Final on May 24th. In the game, he scored 13 points. He led Toulon once more to another victory in a final, this time the Top 14 Finals, in which Toulon defeated Toulon 18–10. Wilkinson kicked 15 points. This was his last match of his career. Following the final whistle, supporters from both teams sang "God Save the Queen" in honor of him.

Wikinson's contributions to Toulon's triumph, as well as his historical contributions, increased exposure, and a high success rate were all factors that contributed to the team's success; a superstar and multi-cultural team; and a very high kicking success rate.

Wilkinson was France's highest-paid player.

Wilkinson declared in May 2014 that he would step down from all rugby at the end of the season.

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Awards

• In December 2005, Wilkinson was awarded an honorary doctorate in Civil Law by Northumbria University
• He was the 2003 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
• He was the 2003 International Rugby Board (IRB) International Player of the Year.