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| Jonny Wilkinson |
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| Sport | Rugby |
| Born | May 25 1979 Frimley, Surrey; England |
| Height | 1.77m (5ft 10in) |
| Weight | 84.36kg (13st 4lb) |
| Position | Fly-half |
| Club | Newcastle Falcons |
| National Team Debut | April 4 1998 (as substitute v Ireland, aged 18) |
| Awards | IRB 'International Player of the Year'
Professional Rugby Players' Association 'Players' Player' of 2003
He is only the third kicker to win the 'Golden Boot' award by reaching 1,000 points in the Zurich Premiership.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2003
MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)
CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)
OBE (Order of the British Empire) |
| Biography | 1994 - Age 15, Jonny Wilkinson first played for England Under 16s.
England rugby selectors had seen him as part of the English 18s Schools tour of Australia in 1997 where he clocked up a massive 94 points in only 5 games.
1997/1998 - After being discovered by Steve Bates he signed a two year contract with Newcastle. Already identified as Rob Andrews future fly half successor, Jonny played an influential part of Newcastle’s Team 1997/8
1998 - Wilkinson made his first England debut as Mike Catt’s replacement in the 79th minute, making him England’s youngest player this century.
1999 - At age 19 made his first start for England in the
Five Nations Championship against Scotland and kicked four priceless goals as England won the Calcutta Cup 24-21.
1999 -Named Allied Dunbar/ Rugby World Player of the Month in March
2000 - Kicks all 27 points as England beat South Africa 27-22 in June. His eighth penalty sets a new England Test Record.
2001 - Claims Six Nations individual tournament record with 35 points in England’s 80-23 thrashing of Italy, in February.
2002 - Named Zurich International Player of the Year 2002 in November
2002 - Awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in December.
2003 - Kicks all 15 points as England beat the All Blacks In New Zealand for the first time.
2003 - He is England’s inevitable hero, securing a dramatic 20-17 victory over Australia with a drop goal deep into extra time to win the Rugby World Cup 2003.
2003 - Wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year
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| His Game | He is seen as the best tackler in English rugby and is currently viewed as the best fly half in the game by most pundits. He is the most dedicated trainer in the game, is currently the highest English points scorer.
He is absolutely dedicated to an end. Training on Christmas Day, kicking practice for hours on end with both feet (remembering he is left-footed) to such a degree that he sets himself certain targets that he must obtain before he will leave. There are tales of sessions where he said he wanted to kick 20 goals in a row, starting over again each time he failed at eighteen to achieve perfection. He is 100%, all the time – he has admitted to being as driven in front of 1,000 people for Newcastle on a wet Tuesday in November as playing in the Stade de France in front of 80,000.
He studied tapes of Jason Robinson from last season and went to watch him train to develop his running game. His playing style is very uncompromising and physical for a player of his size, he is renowned as one of the hardest tacklers in the England team. His whole life is about rugby.
Self-critical to the point of obsession, he concerns himself solely with playing the perfect game of rugby which in his position on the pitch is next to impossible - but that’s the point, at times he is aiming at the impossible. Plays with a complete disregard for his own personal safety, tackling well above his weight. Fellow players, coaches and commentators have actually told him to ease up a bit on the pitch and save himself. Fearless and intelligent he reads the game exceptionally well. He is incredibly well-respected across the world. |
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