News about Jonny Wilkinson

Rugby has always been a key pillar of England's sporting landscape. From Martin Johnson to Fran Cotton and Jonny Wilkinson to Owen Farrell, the country has produced some true greats of the game. But as the nation celebrates Saint George's Day, who tops the list as the best player ever to come from England? Here, Mail Sport's ALEX BYWATER dons his hard hat and ranks his top 10 England male rugby stars of all time…

DAN BIGGAR: I've spent the last few days analysing Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack ahead of Saturday's match between my Toulon side and Toulouse in the Top 14. They are the most dangerous half- back combination in the game and Exeter have one hell of a challenge on their hands today. Dupont is the world's best player by a country mile. I played against England's Jonny Wilkinson and Dan Carter of the All Blacks in their heyday and Dupont has the same kind of presence. He's worth 10 points before the match has started because he puts so much fear into the opposition. He's as strong as a forward, as quick as a winger and as intelligent as a No 10. There are no weaknesses in his game.

As an international head coach, you cannot be constrained by external factors around selection because they don't allow you to pick your best team and therefore create a readymade excuse. That's what the RFU's policy, which means you can't play for a club outside of England and also represent Steve Borthwick's national side, does. I've long been of the view it is an archaic ruling which doesn't work in the society we all live in today. I look at it through a very blunt lens. Does the overseas rule make England more competitive? Or, as an Olympic rowing team would say: 'Does it make the boat go faster?' For me, the answer is an emphatic no.

CHRIS FOY – WORLD OF RUGBY: How sad it is to learn that another of the mighty has fallen. Phil Vickery has been declared bankrupt, causing the former England captain and World Cup winner to withdraw from several enterprises. The 'Raging Bull' is expected to owe nearly £100,000 to Vix Ltd, his management company, which has gone into liquidation. Following the announcement that the 2011 Celebrity Masterchef winner's No. 3 restaurants had been ordered to close earlier this year due to the cost-of-living crisis that has wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry, there were also allegations of unpaid tax bills. Vickery, 48, seems to be suffering with his health issues as well as his financial problems. The great prop idol had joined the group litigation against various rugby governing bodies late last year, on behalf of ex-players who were still recovering from the after-effects of repeated head injuries.

DAN BIGGAR: I captained Wales on my 100th cap against Italy in Cardiff in 2022. On the same day, Alun Wyn Jones made his 150th Test appearance for his country. It was supposed to be a party. It became a nightmare. I'm back to it now, but much was made of mine and Alun Wyn's classic games. I'm not positive we were as focused as we should have been on the task at hand.

SIMON ISLANDS: In LYON, Northern Ireland sipping was side by side with scrum coach Tom Harrison, but the media was worried about whether England's wrecking ball would be 60 and out. It certainly looks that way. At Friday night's team meeting, Jamie George asked the 32-year-old to address the squad, detailing all of his Test debuts since 2011. It's time for reflection. 'I remember when I first came in and Jonny Wilkinson stood up and shook my hand,' Tuilagi said.' 'He said, 'Nice to meet you Manu' and I was like… "OK!" It was amazing.

It's the most watched club game in English television history, not because of its 28 million viewers at home, but for the brutality of the thundering tackles and violence. Chelsea and Leeds will meet in the FA Cup on Wednesday, a match from 54 years ago - and the subsequent raging discussions - will never be far away, even though the snowflake rules of the modern day have changed the game forever. Chelsea won 2-1 after extra time in the third most watched sporting match in UK television history, only beating the 1966 World Cup final and Euro 2020 final.

THE WORLD OF RUGBY: Scotland will welcome the English with a measure of rivalry that is not equaled by the visitors from south of Hadrian's Wall. When the England coach arrives, they will be cramming onto the upper walkways at Murrayfield, leaning toward some chosen words and perhaps even the odd projectile for good measure. Steve Borthwick and his crew will know that they are clearly out of their comfort zone thanks to the yells, boos, and chants. As always, there will be a proper edge and a tense, which is exactly how it should be. During the warm-ups, there is every chance that the Red Rose raiders will be met by go-slow bagpipers, the infernal pillar in the middle of the away dressing-room, and severe overcrowding on their half of the field. This is all part of the fixture's rich tapestry.

HSBC was offering a £205 cash reward to new customers who opened two bank accounts late last year. I checked all the small print and I was accepted for the job, so I applied and opened the accounts. However, I discovered later that I had never received the reward money. When I called HSBC to ask why, it said I wasn't eligible because it was only for new clients with no HSBC accounts since at least 2018. I used to have an account with Midland Bank (now part of HSBC), but I closed it more than two decades ago. Can you help?

DAN BIGGAR: It was a little bit surreal to hear Jonny Wilkinson talk on yesterday. It brought back memories of my big trip to Australia with my mother in 2003, when she told the teachers that she would miss a few weeks of school so we could fly to Brisbane for the World Cup. It's been 21 years ago now, but I can recall the quarter finals between Wales and England. At halftime, we were leading into a hot dog, but only Jonny could kick 23 points and pinch it for the English. Wales versus England was always the most exciting fixture for me as both a player and a young supporter. My mother was on holiday in the Maldives in 1999 and it cost £6 a minute to call home. It didn't surprise me that the only time she phoned home was to find out the Wales England score!

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: I look at English rugby's corridors of influence and know that certain things would not be happening if I were still involved. Henry Arundell's deal with Racing 92, which left him unobtainable for Tests, made me feel like that. If I were head coach, England would not have a ridiculous ban on international players representing England. You have to be able to select the best players, but Steve Borthwick is unable to do so.

CHRIS FOY: Following Saracens' announcement that Owen Farrell has decided to rework his international career to prioritize his family's emotional stability, England will need a new captain for the Six Nations and the foreseeable future.' Because of the shock, the 32-year-old Test centurion, who aided England during their latest World Cup campaign, will not be eligible for selection for the Six Nations early next year. His future with England is uncertain, but his club has announced that he will continue to play for Saracens and captain the team.'

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - SIMON, NIK SIMON: On the dining table at the Woodward household, sausage rolls, sandwiches, and mince pies are served up. Sir Clive is sipping a cup of tea as he listens to his wife, Lady Jayne, recounting a tale about three England players who sat in the same seats during his tenure as head coach. 'Clive used to invite three or four players round for dinner at a time to get to know them,' recalls Jayne. Learn about their families and find out what makes them tick. We'd like to include the players' wives and girlfriends at every opportunity. They were a key piece of the team, and we arranged travel and accommodation for away games as a team. Every Christmas, we'd all go to a West End show and have dinner together. 'I'd made a cod mornay on one occasion.' I served it up and said, "I hope everyone is OK with fish?" "No, sorry, I don't eat fish," one of the players, who we will not mention, says. So, I go back in the kitchen and I'm thinking, "Oh my God, what am I going to give this massive guy!"There wasn't a lot in the fridge so I made cannelloni using some pasta sheets and those square pieces of processed cheese and ham from Freddie, our youngest's, lunchbox!'

With forwards Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam lined up to join Toulon, the exodus of England players to France seems to be set to continue. Jack Willis, Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds, Henry Arundell, David Ribbans, and Joe Marchant have all been to the Top 14 in the last year. Willis and Arundell's departures were compelled on them by the demise of their teams Wasps and London Irish, but others were forced to leave due to lucrative employment. The Premiership salary cap is expected to increase next season, but England's top players will still earn much more in France. Bristol captain Ludlam and Toulon's three-time European champions, Toulon, who have previously employed Jonny Wilkinson, Chris Ashton, and the Armitage brothers, are likely to join the French ranks.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD - WORLD CUP WINNING COACH: One of my favorite quotes is: "Great teams are made of great people." I've always thought the best players thrived under pressure in my coaching career. I would be putting the most pressure on the team if I were in Steve Borthwick's shoes as England head coach tonight. There will be no major Churchillian address made. I would tell this England squad that if every individual does their jobs properly, we will beat South Africa and guarantee a spot in the World Cup final. For every player and staff member of the Stade de France, there will be a lot of pressure. You do not want to be the one who lets the team down. Every person must win their one-on-one match. England are still strong underdogs, but if they do that, there is every chance of an upset. You are either the chaser or the one being chased in international rugby. This is what makes this game so interesting. The Englanders are usually the ones being chased. Everyone wants to beat England. If we like it or not as a nation, it is not going to change, so we may as well embrace it.

There are 6/1 odds for 'South Africa's overthrowrowning of the All Blacks in the final by 1-5 points' for those predicting the Springboks and All Blacks to face New Zealand in the final. In the meantime, if longer odds are what you're after - England is expected to win the World Cup and kick a winning drop goal in the final is priced at a wide 66/1. They managed to win the final for the first time 20 years ago, with Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal in the dying stages sealing the victory over hosts Australia.

OLIVER HOLT: Following England's thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory over Fiji - England and 'thrilling' have not been discussed in the same breath recently, a few of us took the Marseille metro for a few stops and discovered a pizzeria in Notre Dame du Mont, which was playing the France-South Africa game. The game was being played in France and South Africa at the majority of venues. Bars, sushi restaurants, Thai restaurants, and kebab shops can be found in Thailand. People were milling around outside bars or eating at tables, their gazes fixed on the television screens that seemed to have been installed in every doorway and every establishment. One of the major tournaments is to experience it's intoxication and the sense of belonging and unity it brings. I still remember Euro 96 and the red and white crosses of St George, flying and flapping from car windows everywhere you went.

OLIVER HOLT IN MARSEILLE: On Sunday, a stunning morning in Marseille was spent. People sat outside at tables in Place Jean-Jaures, sipping coffee, and enjoying the autumn sun. Fans of England and Fiji admirers mingled before the game. This isn't football. People are linked by a shared passion for the sport, not that it has made enemies of it. An England supporter greeted a Fiji fan as they strolled around the square in opposite directions, saying, 'Good luck this afternoon.' They took a moment to consider what lay ahead for the day. The Fiji fan said, 'We'll need it.' The England supporter said, 'No'. We'll need it,' says the narrator.' No one knew whether to trust the old order to withstand the challenge of the new at the Stade Velodrome in the quarterfinals of this tournament on a day when the England men's cricket team lost to Afghanistan in a World Cup on another continent and on the brink of being eliminated.

CHRIS FOY IN LILLE: This was an uncomfortable surprise for England's machinery, as well as rugby's powers-that-be. Both the national team and the foreign authorities were exposed by heroic Samoa. What the Pacific islanders did on Saturday evening may have sway on the global game's future. It left Steve Borthwick with the unfortunate fact that his England team had used up a get-out-of-jail card.

Owen Farrell has been dubbed one of England's unheralded greats as he prepares to overthrowrown Jonny Wilkinson as the country's top points scorer. England's captain is just one convert away from deposing Wilkinson's record of 1,179, which has stood since 2011. Farrell has never received the same acclaim as Wilkinson, but some of the sport's best names paid tribute to him ahead of his World Cup match against Samoa today.

In the new ITV reality show Grand Slammers, Mike Tindall has talked about his life after rugby and his friendship with his royal wife. Zara, King Charles' niece and former rugby international, 44, appears on tonight's two-part programme alongside his former colleagues, including Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Phil Vickery. Mike joins HMP The Mount prison to try to create and develop a team of inmates strong enough to face a formidable adversary, the Australians, alongside other members from the England Rugby team that won the 2003 World Cup. In a clip from the program, the former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here contestant discusses how he was left wondering where after retiring from rugby in 2014. "Everyone thinks that just marrying Zara means it's all fine and dandy, but that doesn't mean you can't get a job."

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The tournament's winners have all had excellent goal kickers, according to SIR CLIVE WOODWARD. Michael Lynagh, Joel Stransky, Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, and Handre Pollard have all been instrumental to their respective teams's success over the years due to their tenacity from the tee.

It was back in his grandparents' garden in Taryu, south-west Romania, where Theo Dan spent the school holidays tuming with a rugby ball. Ion Dijmarescu, his grandfather, was a professor at the University of Petrosani and appeared on stage for the University of Petrosani's first XV. "I spent the majority of my summers back in England, not all of mine." My grandad was an engineer, so he simply took some steel beams and planted two rugby posts out in his garden.' We'd be spending days, weeks, and months here just throwing the ball around.' After the demise of the Soviet Union, Dan's parents departed the country and settled in London, taking up financial services. They're still close to their roots in Romania, and they're all fluent in the language, but Dan's childhood dream was always to play rugby for England.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: No other team in the country has ever wanted to compete against our national team has ever wanted to play against our national team. When it came to meeting England, there has always been a fear factor for other outfits, regardless of which state we were in. I include the southern hemisphere giants in that list. There is no reason why England hasn't loosened the fear factor. However, after winning by a stunning victory over Argentina to begin their World Cup campaign, it is now back. Any sport can be changed by a single game. Things can turn around overnight, and the George Ford-inspired win in Marseille is a prime example of just that. I've always been of the belief that when England's key players all front up, the team will do well, regardless of who is coaching them. Anything magical can happen if you marry it with a great head coach and a backroom staff.