And while Wilkinson - who impressed as a second-half replacement at centre - admitted he would have been far less gracious in the past, he insists he was delighted by Cipriani's performance at the weekend.
"That was a phenomenally impressive start from Danny Cipriani in the England No10 shirt on Saturday," he said.
"And believe me, from where I was sitting on the England bench for most of the game, it was a joy to watch.
"I guess it is only human nature, but I have been asked what it was like to watch him play so well at No10, the position I like to play. The answer is simple: it was fantastic and I was genuinely delighted for him.
"The sad thing is that in years gone by, that might not have been the case. I can't deny that when Charlie Hodgson was making his mark on that position, I found it very hard to accept."
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