Wilkinson Hails Jones’ England
They are ‘more complete’ than 2003 RWC winners
Tokyo: England legend Jonny Wilkinson has offered his backing to Eddie Jones’ squad ahead of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final against South Africa.
Jonny Wilkinson rates England’s class of 2019 as already better than his legendary 2003 Rugby World Cup winners. Wilkinson, who has been working with kickers Owen Farrell and George Ford on a part-time basis during the Eddie Jones era, has enjoyed a ring-side seat for the side’s development under the Australian.
And, after the semi-final masterclass against New Zealand, he feels the new generation of all-rounders have taken English rugby to a higher level.
“I think England have this incredible make-up of individuals which is geared to play professional sport at the highest level,” said Wilkinson.
“I think we had it as well.
If you had all our guys and sent them back to their mid-twenties and then threw them into that squad and said: ‘let’s compete’, I think you’d find something very similar - because of the internal make-up.
“But when you compare the external stuff, the skills and the speed, then it’s a different game.
“These guys - it’s a new generation - they’re quicker, they’re faster, stronger. Everyone’s more complete.”
Wilkinson has spent time with the squad in Tokyo during the past fortnight guiding England’s twin playmakers as they have piloted the team through the knockout stages.
“I’ve been working with them since I got out here, doing the usual, and when I was back in England we were doing stuff over the phone,” he said.
Having lost a final in 2007 as well as won one in 2003, Wilkinson’s advice is not to go into their shells and to go out and show the world what they can do against South Africa this weekend.
“The reason that was an inspired performance by England against New Zealand was that it was incredibly composed at the base level but at the other level it was right on the edge,” said Wilkinson.
“It seemed like there were a lot of guys who were saying: ‘look, we don’t know how this is going to go, isn’t that great?’
Whereas on the other side for New Zealand in the first five minutes there were guys thinking: ‘we don’t know how this is going to go. Normally it is the other way around.
Sixteen years ago, the final had the most dramatic of conclusions with Australia’s Elton Flatley taking Martin Johnson’s England storm troopers into extra time with a nerveless last-minute penalty.
“I got the impression that most of our team wanted Flatley to kick that last goal because they were thinking: ‘we don’t want to win because your guy missed, we want to win because we win it.’
I got the impression those guys were excited,” said Wilkinson.
It created the canvas for the indelible image of the Wilkinson drop goal. He says it feels like someone else kicked it and has no interest in wallowing in the reflected glory that still radiates even now.
But he does have pride in the trail it blazed for his successors who are about to knock at history’s door.