Wales play rugby through the heart. If you feed that genius then it’s dangerous
JONNY WILKINSON knows all about taking on the old enemy, as the England legend tells fellow No 10 maestro DAN BIGGAR
It feels a little bit surreal sitting down with Jonny Wilkinson. It brings back memories of my big trip to Australia with my mum in 2003, when she told the teachers I would be missing a couple of weeks of school so we could fly to Brisbane for the World Cup.
It’s 21 years ago now but I vividly remember that quarter- final between Wales and england. We were leading at half-time and I was tucking into a hot dog thinking we were home and hosed — only for Jonny to kick 23 points and pinch it for the english.
As both a player and a young supporter, Wales versus england has always been the biggest fixture for me. In 1999, my mum was on holiday in the Maldives 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!
everyone remembers their own version of events and that’s part of the beauty of it. for Welsh people my age, it often features Jonny breaking our hearts, yet in time you always look back on it fondly.
I meet him at england’s training base (which is much more luxurious than Wales’s, with its chandeliers and grand piano!) and it is lovely to hear that he has equally fond memories of england-Wales matches.
‘My dad used to play at Alton Rugby Club,’ he says, having pulled a few strings to get us our own private room at Pennyhill Park. ‘Dad was that classic roaming No 8 who might one day start at 15. My brother and I would go along and kick balls around and we’d pop our heads into the bar where all these guys were sitting around the tV.
‘It would be Bill Mclaren on the commentary and I remember seeing Paul thorburn hit one from the 10-metre line. england v Wales was always tight. Always. Old shirts, pure red, pure white, baggy, long- sleeved. You’d have Brian Moore wearing his shirt with the collar tucked in. that’s what I remember.
‘I could smell it from the sidelines. I can smell it now. It was a golden era, not because of how awesome the rugby was but because of the energy that came off it. It was a beautiful thing, that was the romantic side of rugby for me. You watched those players on the pitch and they were almost superheroes. they were heroes but they were reachable.’
everyone in my village back in Wales would get together for this match. It was the biggest game of the year — and it still is.
everyone would always reminisce about the 1970s, when we were so dominant with guys like sir Gareth edwards, JPR Williams and Barry
John. those guys set an exceptionally high bar that the rest of us had to try to live up to.
that was challenging at times, I have to admit. sometimes I’ve wondered if the occasion means as much to the english as it does to the Welsh — and it certainly did with Jonny.
‘Wales is a bit of a holy land for rugby,’ he says. ‘ You drive through these little streets on a matchday and you see how much it means to people. I was always next to Richard Hill on the e bus bus. the days of the sony Discman! the bus had tables and I was always in the same space, facing forwards. I would make no eye contact with anyone but I would just watch people on the drive into the ground. In my head I was just thinking, “there’s more of them, there’s more of them, there’s more of them” but in the changing room it’s just you guys.
‘Wales is like a space of rugby genius, almost. You hear about Barry John, who sadly passed away recently, and rugby in the seventies. looking at those eras, 2003 is the closest we got.
‘Against Wales there’s always that sense of “be careful”. suddenly there can be that spark. they play rugby through the heart. Rugby intelligence is born in these guys, like New Zealand, and they can just create something from nothing. If you feed that genius then it’s dangerous. We saw it in Wales’s second half against scotland last week.’
I watched Wales’s defeat by scotland back home in toulon, which was significantly warmer than it was at Pennyhill Park yesterday! Jonny lives 20 minutes away from england’s base and he’s often in camp mentoring the players. Both teams have plenty to work on after the opening weekend and, given their pretty one- dimensional approach last year, I’ve been interested to read england’s comments about an up-and-at- em Bazball mindset. It’s a big philosophy shift and I am curious to hear how much input Jonny has had on it.
‘My role within the squad is very much to support the players,’ he says. ‘I come in towards the end of the sessions. I don’t know strategies, I don’t know what they’re doing in the week. ‘But you see a bit of training and it looks good. It looks like people are finding themselves and building towards something. You can see there are errors they want to lift from the Italy game, to bring out the creative side of those players who can just tear up the game. ‘Intelligence is nothing compared to what your heart can do. the permission with that Bazball idea is to say, “What do you really want from your career?” the excitement before a game of saying, “What’s possible? What can
we do?” Rather than saying, “We need to do this, don’t do this”. Maybe we are tuned to this idea of having to suffer our way through. When you’re born to do something, which these guys are, it’s about trusting that.’
Even as a Welshman, I love the messages that Jamie George has been putting out there as England captain. We’ve been on Lions tours together and he’s brilliant company. He’s always got a smile on his face, radiating positivity, and it feels like a real mood shift from the Eddie Jones and Owen Farrell era.
I was as shocked as everyone else when Owen announced he was leaving. Naturally, everyone will compare it to when Jonny left England for Toulon in 2011. It’s a fascinating move but I don’t agree with the RFU’s policy not to select any overseas players. Discussing it with Jonny, he seems torn on the matter.
‘I went to France desperately hungry because I had unfinished business in me. I was desperate to stay at Newcastle and I had no intention of moving. I missed three years with injuries and my knee just completely blew out. Newcastle just said, “We can’t do this”.
I didn’t want to play against Newcastle, ever, so I just thought, “Let’s go abroad”. There was a hunger in me. My intention was to go there and just let rip with whatever was left.
‘It was a tricky end to my career with England and that France thing was just the way it was meant to play out.
‘It all depends on your intention and remaining true to that. You’re not there to mess about. With Owen, there’s unfinished business. There’s an energy that causes some horrible suffering where it should be fun.
‘It’s like Leigh Halfpenny. When that energy’s strong enough there’s an inevitability about what happens. Leigh brought it, you brought it and I think Owen will bring it.’
WITH guys like Owen playing no part this weekend, it feels like the beginning of a new era in this fixture. Looking at the young age-profile of the players, it could set the tone in this rivalry for the next 10 years.
I was in Wales camp on Tuesday and the group felt like they were riding a bit of a wave after that second half in Cardiff but there was no part of me that wished I was back with them training.
It’s the first Six Nations I’ve not been a part of for 12 years and instead I’ll be joining Jonny in the TV punditry box, playing the smart guy and telling everyone what they do wrong!
It takes time to find that comfort, ease and distance to be able to enjoy the experience, Jonny tells me. ‘I feel like I’m playing the game still but with a different shirt on. There’s always a sense of anticipation at Twickenham, the crowd always turn
up giving the team a chance. Now I’m one of those guys around the edge of the pitch and it’s almost becoming a bit mythical. I used to be on that pitch, kicking for hours. Now I look at it and it’s Godly.
‘It still has that high presence for me but physically it’s not relevant to my life any more. I get to enjoy it and enjoy the journey of the young players.
‘This weekend’s game is open for whoever stamps their authority on it. Who finds that ruthlessness and confidence, no matter how many mistakes you make. Who says, “We’re going for it”. There’s always a reason to hold back. It’s about not being reckless or irresponsible, but finding that energy to say, “Why not?” Going in with ideas about how they can play safer is not going to cut it.
‘Playing at Twickenham is definitely different from Cardiff. There’s an openness to Twickenham. You feel less susceptible to that energy. Twickenham always feels fast, a big pitch with a lot of space. I always trust in England, especially at Twickenham.’
Jonny tips England for an eight-point victory and on this occasion, I have to agree with him. They’re coming home after a win in Rome and physically I think their front five will have the edge — but I hope Wales prove me wrong.
‘I can’t wait to watch from the sidelines — I just have to remember that it’s unprofessional to ask Jonny for his autograph!