Who is he ?

Jonathan Peter Wilkinson (born 25 May 1979 in Frimley, Surrey) is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the

2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players. He was an integral member of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning England squad, scoring the winning drop goal in the last minute of extra time against Australia. He plays his club rugby for Toulon following twelve seasons in the Guinness Premiership for Newcastle Falcons. Wilkinson has also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, in 2001 and 2005, scoring 67 Test points in the 6 Lions test matches he has started. On 3 April 2009 at Guildford Cathedral, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Surrey for services to the sports industry.

Johnny Wilkinson drop kick

Recent career

Because of a succession of injuries affecting his knee ligaments, arm, shoulder and kidney, Jonny Wilkinson's international career was severely disrupted. He did not appear again for England until 1,169 days after the 2003 World-Cup triumph, for the opening game of the 2007 Six Nations Championship against Scotland on 3 February 2007. In his comeback international match, Wilkinson scored 27 points (a record in the Calcutta Cup) and was proclaimed Man of the Match. The following week against Italy, he became the highest point-scorer in the history of the Five/Six Nations Championship (he has since been overtaken by Ronan O'Gara of Ireland). On 6 October 2007, he also became the highest point-scorer in the history of the World Cup, kicking four penalties to overtake Scotland's Gavin Hastings in a quarter-final against Australia. In a 2008 Six-Nations match against Italy, he became the first English player (and second overall) to score 1000 Test points. He is also the world record drop goal scorer in international rugby with a total of 29. In March 2008, he became the highest international point-scorer, overtaking Neil Jenkins of Wales. In September 2008 he was injured again, ending his Premiership season. In May 2009 he agreed to join French club Toulon on a two-year contract, leaving Newcastle after 12 years. In July 2009 he was recalled into the England Elite Squad for the first time since the 2008 Six Nations and was confirmed in the squad for the 2009 Autumn internationals after a successful run of games with Toulon. Wilkinson was then selected to tour Australia with the elite squad but was not selected as first choice fly half, nevertheless Wilkinson landed the winning points in the second test between England and Australia.

Interview Jonny Wilkinson Jour de Rugby

International records

Wilkinson scored a record 29th Test drop goal against France in the 2008 Six Nations Championship.

His first converted penalty against Scotland on 8 March 2008, took him 3 points past Wales's Neil Jenkins tally of 1090 Test rugby points. This achievement came due to the IRB retrospectively granting full Test status to the 2005 British and Irish Lions warm-up test against Argentina, in which he scored 20 points, without which he would have remained behind Jenkins on that day. Two more penalties in the second half took his tally to 1099 points. However, Jenkins has also been retrospectively awarded 41 points in relation to his scoring during Lions Test matches bringing his grand total to 1090 compared to Wilkinson's 1125; a difference greater than the 20 points from the Argentina match.

As at November 21, 2009, Wilkinson has still amassed the highest tally of International points even when the Lions points are excluded - 1058 to Jenkins' 1049.

Wilkinson passed Ronan O'gara (522), to regain the overall points record total of 526 in the Six Nations, on 13 March 2010.

Wilkinson holds the Rugby World Cup points record with 249 and is the only player to score points in two World Cup Finals.