Sunday 24 February 2008
Wilko cares little for records

Jonny Wilkinson meets history with respect but in matter-of-fact fashion, rather as he might shake hands with yet another autograph hunter.

“Oh, right, I’d no idea,” was his response to the news that he had set one world record and perhaps equalled another on Saturday night when England beat France at the Stade de France for the second time in four months.

Wilkinson’s drop goal took him on to 29 in Test rugby, one more than the previous best set by Argentina’s legendary fly-half Hugo Porta.

His 14 points in England’s 24-13 victory also saw him draw level with Welshman Neil Jenkins’ record international points total of 1090, if the 20 points Wilkinson scored for the British Lions in a warm-up match against Argentina in 2005 are taken into consideration, although it was a match in which caps were not awarded.

Some statisticians count that, some do not. Wilkinson appeared unconcerned either way.

“I’m not really into these things,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. The fact that I’m here and able to enjoy these times is much more important.”

Truly, if they handed out gold medals for modesty then Wilkinson would be an Olympic champion.

But for the World Cup hero who lost the best part of three years of his career to a series of injuries nothing appears more important than being back doing what he does best.

There were doubters who would have denied Wilkinson the opportunity to reach those records. After England’s implosion against Wales earlier this month they said he was no longer the player he once was. No longer as infallible in his kicking.

No longer composed in controlling the ebb and flow of a rugby match.

There were calls for the dynamic talents of Wasps fly-half Danny Cipriani to be given his chance.

On Saturday night Wilkinson gave his answer as England dominated a match, in which captain Phil Vickery, muscle man prop Andrew Sheridan and scrum-half debutant Richard Wigglesworth were outstanding, to resurrect their hopes of lifting the Six Nations championship.

What’s more, the previously obsessive Wilkinson says criticism no longer concerns him. In surely rugby’s greatest ‘Road to Damascus’ conversion, he claims he no longer even worries when he misses a kick, such as the two long-range efforts which fell short against France.

He said: “I really don’t want to sound ultra shocking but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t know what the change is in me or where it’s come from but I just love playing. That’s what’s important.

“If my form is such that I get dropped and somebody else comes in and deserves to be there, then let them do it.

“If I’m the right guy there for the moment then I’ll do my best. I’m not saying that to be controversial, I’m just trying to embrace every game.”

But surely he must take huge satisfaction in a personal job well done in a team whose forward power is formidable, even if hooker Mark Regan does stretch the bounds of acceptable behaviour with his wind-up tactics which saw every England line-out take at least a minute to prepare.

“No, the old me would have been saying ‘What about that missed kick and what about if I had done that differently and crikey, what about next week already?’” he admitted.
“But that was starting to grind me down. It was bringing out the worst in me with injuries. It was affecting all my life. I realise now that the joy is being able to take defeat and victory literally as the same thing and just know that you’ve done your best.”

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