One man does not make a team, certainly not in rugby, but England become a team to fear when Wilkinson is among their number
Fallible but unflappable, Wilkinson strikes again
Posted 22 minutes ago
Cometh the hour, cometh the man ... Jonny Wilkinson makes a penalty goal attempt
After half an hour in the World Cup semi-final against France, England fly half Jonny Wilkinson had a full house of misses - conversion, field goal and penalty. Even England's fans must have wondered if three years out of the game had taken the edge off their sharpest weapon.
But, as he has done so many times during those injury-racked years, Wilkinson dusted himself down, put it behind him and thought about the next opportunity. It did not come until a 47th-minute penalty and after his early wobbles, the perfectionist goalkicker was not about to be rushed.
At the end of a week when his concerns about the balls had made the headlines, he rejected the first one offered to him from the sidelines, shouting out: "that is not a match ball".
Three misses to his name, uncertainty over the ball and most of the 80,000 crowd whistling, but it was nothing to the master craftsman as he confidently split the posts.
England were still trailing 9-8 after that, defending desperately as the French assaults became a constant wave.
In a rare escape, Wilkinson - who kicked all the points in a 24-7 win over France at the same stage in 2003 - lined up another field goal but saw the ball rebound from a post and then he needed treatment after being flattened in a tackle.
..
Perfect execution
It was the 75th minute, a place in the World Cup final probably depending on the accuracy of his kick and the state of his mind.
All those lonely hours on the training field. All those weeks in the treatment room and all those painful months of rehabilitation and suddenly it was down to one more perfect execution of the most famous kicking technique in the game.
Straight and true, the ball sailed over and everything had changed.
England's forwards ground down the clock with all the experience gained by the oldest team ever to take the field in a World Cup.
Wilkinson, though, had the final word, just as he had four years ago in the final against Australia when his last-gasp field goal won the title for England.
Another magnificent drop goal, a 78th-minute connection that ridiculed the three scratchy first-half efforts of French fly half Lionel Beauxis, sailed over the bar and England incredibly were on their way to the final.
"I think my body has never felt so sore," Wilkinson said after the 14-9 win.
Four weeks ago Wilkinson had sat in the stands here nursing an injured ankle while England were humiliated 36-0 by South Africa in the pool stage.
In seven days, if the Springboks get past Argentina on Monday morning (Australian time), he could line up against them with a chance to help England become the first team to retain the World Cup.
One man does not make a team, certainly not in rugby, but England become a team to fear when Wilkinson is among their number.
You mean a one man team 2020 and you know what I'm saying.http://www.sportingbet.com.au/uipub/sport.aspx?l1id=4&l2id=196621
South Africa 1.35
England 3.25
Last time the boks beat (thrashed) the poms, Wilkinson was sidelined.
What a difference one man makes.
hey Pat - you might be onto something - just kick the little ball over the big goalposts you reckon...Thats why I hate Johnny "field goal" Wilkinson, and thats why I hate Andrew Johns... or hated, he's alright now he admitted he's a drug'o LOL!!!
Pehaps Mr Wilkinson is too?
I like the underdog.
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