Jonny Wilkinson

 Jonny Wilkinson en séance de dédicace aux Grands Bains du Monêtier

La crinière blonde au vent, le sourire au coin des lèvres, le cuir en permanence entre les mains, Jonny Wilkinson galope sur le terrain comme un junior.

Coup dur pour l'ancien capitaine de l'Angleterre, Steve Borthwick ! L'entraîneur du XV de la Rose, Martin Johnson, a décidé de se passer des services du 2e ligne anglais pour la prochaine saison internationale. C'est le joueur de Gloucester Dave Atwood qui prend sa place. 3 nouveaux ont été sélectionnés : le centre des Wasps Dominic Waldouck, le flanker de Leeds Hendre Fourie et le pilier de Gloucester Paul Doran-Jones. Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), James Haskell et Tom Palmer (Stade Français) font également partie du groupe.

Source : http://www.lefigaro.fr/

It was only a point, the smallest margin of victory possible, but a victory it was.

Martin Johnson’s England won in the southern hemisphere for the first time since that wet November night in 2003 and the fact it was against the same opponent made it all the sweeter.

Admittedly England were a tad fortunate as the normally unflappable centre Matt Giteau missed a string of penalties, including one right in front of the posts.

But experience was telling for England as Jonny Wilkinson calmly slotted a penalty to put his team in the lead, and give his side the victory.

Once the mastermind of so many England victories from his iconic No. 4 jersey, Johnson must use this win as a catalyst towards bigger and better things over the next 12 months.

Johnson has at his disposal an exciting mix of youth and experience with stand-in skipper Lewis Moody and a revitalised Jonny Wilkinson starring alongside the likes of Chris Ashton, Ben Foden and the highly impressive Ben Youngs.

In order to have any success in the upcoming autumn internationals, Six Nations and through to the 2011 World Cup, Johnson must turn the winning feeling into a habit rather than a sporadic treat.

If Wilkinson can stay fit and in the form he is in, he could be instrumental to the World Cup dream becoming a reality.

While he will almost certainly feature on a part time basis or as a replacement, his dressing room presence and unerring professionalism will inspire the younger generation.

England face a tough schedule in November, tackling all three southern hemisphere giants as well as the physical Samoans.

This is followed by a Six Nations championship that will provide the last real test before their first pool match of the 2011 World Cup against Argentina on 4th September.

Source : http://www.thesportreview.com/

************************************************************

Le squad anglais / England squad
Avants / Forwards : Atwood, Chuter, Cole, Croft, Doran-Jones, Easter, Fourie, Hartley, Haskell, lawes, Moody, Palmer, Payne, Shaw, Sheridan, Thompson, Wilson, Worsley.

Arrières / Backs : Armitage, Ashton, Banahan, Care, Cueto, Flood, Flutey, Foden, Hape, Strettle, Tindall, Waldouck,Wilkinson, Youngs.

Jonny Wilkinson returned to haunt Australia as England shocked the Wallabies 21-20 to claim another famous victory in Sydney's Olympic Stadium.

The Toulon fly-half came off the bench to drill the decisive penalty through the same set of posts he had bisected with the drop-goal that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

England, so poor in last week's 27-17 defeat to the Wallabies, had taken a 15-13 half-time lead courtesy of maiden Test tries from scrum-half Ben Youngs and wing Chris Ashton.

Australia hit back with Matt Giteau scoring the second of his two tries in a 20-point personal haul but Wilkinson, the Wallabies' arch-nemesis, had the final say.

Wilkinson not only broke Australian hearts in the 2003 final but he kicked all the points in England's victory over the Wallabies in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final.

"It was a joy coming back here and I take away some great memories," he said.

England had not beaten a Tri-Nations team since that afternoon in Marseille and, before today, their only Test wins over the Wallabies in Australia came in 2003.

Wilkinson insisted the challenge England have now is to ensure this triumph becomes a seminal moment in the build-up to next year's World Cup.

"Everyone can have a big game every now and again but the key is following that up with something else. We've got to follow that example and keep on the right side of the score and wins," said Wilkinson.

"I can only recall 10 or 12 press conferences from the last 10 or 12 I have done in which I have said that this is a good team and it's going the right way.

"It's going to continue to build and the coaches in position are right."

The pressure had been growing on Martin Johnson and the management after last weekend's defeat and the manner in which England turned perceived rugby wisdom on its head by losing despite unbroken dominance in the scrum.

England controlled the scrum again but Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom described England as "desperate" and they played like it - with a hunger, aggression and tempo that had been missing in Perth.

Johnson brought Leicester scrum-half Youngs and Northampton lock Courtney Lawes into the team and they both improved England's dynamism, while Tom Croft and Shontayne Hape both enjoyed big games.

Youngs marked his first Test start with a try after cutting through a hole at the back of a lineout and rounding Australia winger Drew Mitchell to score.

"We are representing England and we didn't do the shirt any justice last week. There was a lot of hurt," said Youngs.

Giteau responded by finishing off a slick Australian move but Ashton then got in on the action, taking an inside pass to score his first Test try as England led 15-13.

The Wallabies came again but penalties from Toby Flood and then Wilkinson edged England to victory.

"It was a huge effort for the players to front up in the last game of the season," said Johnson.

"There has been a lot of negativity around them at times in terms of their ability. They have been mentally tough to come through that and play well.

"We always want to win. The pressure from the outside and the negativity around the team when you are not getting results makes it difficult for the people around you.

"I have said all week I don't worry about my record or my job, I worry about this team getting better. Today we showed we can play. We knew we could, we just had to go and do it.

"We have still got to be better and more consistent but we have won the Test match. When you do that down here it is pretty special."

Australia were unusually flat and captain Rocky Elsom was frustrated at their inability to match England's intensity and physicality.

"It is Test match rugby. They are a desperate side and they needed a win and we knew that," he said.

"Our intensity was not where it should have been. We didn't expect them to be so hard on the ball."

England's victory has changed the face of the tour, which will finish against the New Zealand Maori on Wednesday.

The midweek team are unbeaten, if not convincing, having drawn 28-28 with the Australian Barbarians before scraping a 15-9 win on Tuesday.

Ashton, Youngs, Lawes and Dan Cole are all in the 28-man squad that will fly to Napier tomorrow but Hape, the former New Zealand rugby league international, will not get to play against the Maori.

Source : http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyunion/