Renowned rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson will also reportedly join England’s coaching team for the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Widely recognised for his unwavering commitment and pursuit of perfection during his illustrious playing career, the 43-year-old will be joining Steve Borthwick’s coaching staff on a short-term deal as a specialist kicking coach.
He will balance this role with punditry for ITV, who hold the exclusive broadcast rights for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
His primary focus will be working with star players such as Owen Farrell, George Ford, and Marcus Smith during the summer.
This appointment comes after France had expressed interest in recruiting Wilkinson for their own coaching team ahead of their home World Cup in September.
It is worth noting that Wilkinson has previously worked with England’s coaching setup, specifically during their journey to the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Given his time playing for Toulon in France and his fluency in the language, Wilkinson is highly respected in the country. If he were to join France’s coaching staff, he would follow in the footsteps of esteemed defense expert Shaun Edwards, who joined Les Bleus on a long-term deal from Wales. This would make Wilkinson the second Englishman to be part of their coaching setup.
Rugby fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating the impact of Wilkinson’s expertise and experience in his new role as England prepares for the upcoming World Cup campaign.
Jonny Wilkinson facts:
Wilkinson’s brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre. His father, Phil, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level. His grandfather, Phil, also played football for Norwich.
When former England centre Jeremy Guscott walked into the dressing room on the day of Wilkinson’s international debut, he thought the 18-year-old had won a competition to spend the day with the national team.
Wilkinson followed Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, according to an interview he gave with The Times newspaper in 2009.
Jonny and Shelley became parents for the first time in late 2018. They keep their private life pretty much on lockdown, but according to reports, they had a little boy called James while they were still living in France.
Wilkinson is currently a studio pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cup and other rugby events.
Jonny Wilkinson Has Been Voted The Greatest Ever Rugby Player In History
England legend Jonny Wilkinson has been voted as the rugby’s greatest ever rugby player after a survey was conducted with more than 1000 fans participated.
Forever remembered as the man whose last-gasp drop-goal won England the Rugby World Cup by edging past the hosts in Australia in 2003.
That moment is just one highlight of a record-breaking career that has seen Wilkinson rise to one of the sport’s all-time greats.
England won 67 of the 91 games Wilkinson played in with h1im scoring an outstanding total of 1,179 points. He also holds the Rugby World Cup points record with 277.
Within the top 20 players voted by the fans, New Zealand have the most representatives with five, including the likes of Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Zinzan Brooke.
The only player to make the list from the amateur era is Wales best ever player, and arguably the best scrum-half of all-time, Gareth Edwards.
Here is the list of the top 20 greatest ever rugby players voted by fans:
Greatest Ever Rugby Player: Top 20
20. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
19. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
18. Jason Leonard (England)
17. Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand)
16. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)
15. Lawrence Dallaglio (England)
