Jonny Wilkinson retires from England duty

[TRF_Olyy]

Thought he would have reached at least double figures, 10 man rugby 'n all that

But did you see the belter of a chip/chase/catch/try against the All Blacks?


I don't think Wilko will turn up commentating, he's never really liked being in the public eye massively - wouldn't be surprised to see him end up as a kicking coach somewhere (maybe even Toulon, when he calls it a day there)

 

[psychic duck]

selective memory and double standards all in one post... Ducky, you surpass yourself.

nope, just a different opinion on what is a public forum

you clearly lack the intelligence to debate any different opinions so just resort to name calling when anyone questions your own

and since you want to mention double standards, you call JW. "one eyed" despite yourself being a totally one eyed hater towards Wilkinson

I am still waiting for you to find one nice thing to say about Wilkinson

 

[j'nuh]

TBH, not sure he'd have stayed in the team anyway. Lancaster seems keen on blooding new players, and we have a lot of players to try at 10. Tindall is the remaining member of the 2003 WC squad now. I hope this means we've finally moved on from the past and can start developing.

 

[Teh Mite]

nope, just a different opinion on what is a public forum

you clearly lack the intelligence to debate any different opinions so just resort to name calling when anyone questions your own

and since you want to mention double standards, you call JW. "one eyed" despite yourself being a totally one eyed hater towards Wilkinson

I am still waiting for you to find one nice thing to say about Wilkinson

No old boy, I've been using this board for far too long to feel a requirement to pander towards humourless, know it all dicks such az yourself. Credit when due, I have indeed complimented performances of his when they're deserved. Much the same as I have also done for even Henson, Ellis and even O'Gara. Please, feel free to check the archives and look the posts up for yourself. They date back all the way to 2005.

Wilkinson has not been a "test standard" player since the France semi final in 2003. He has However lived and made a career off reputation based upon media hyperbole since being seen as "rugbys Beckham".

I challenge you to name a since game since that France semi to tell me when he's been anything other then obsolite. Good luck.

 

[Melhor Time]

Jonny is a legend. Will be missed! For the sake of England this better not mean Toby Flood is captain.

No old boy, I've been using this board for far too long to feel a requirement to pander towards humourless, know it all dicks such az yourself.

You´ve been wasting everyones time with nothing posts for way too long Teh Mite. Now your insulting others..... Your take on humour is below the belt. Does nothing to contribute to debates. Just really immature.

 

[lucky number 7]

Jonny is a legend. Will be missed! For the sake of England this better not mean Toby Flood is captain.



You´ve been wasting everyones time with nothing posts for way too long Teh Mite. Now your insulting others..... Your take on humour is below the belt. Does nothing to contribute to debates. Just really immature.

Pot kettle scenario here...

Who cares how mature his humour is , humour is not wine , age does not necessarily improve it.

And also define below the belt?

Edit. Also best wishes to Johnny also , however he has indeed been a sack of shite since 2003

 

[Saintjay]

I wish people could at least say the two fly-halves they would have in the England team from 2003 on. Not just he is rubbish etc,etc.

I do think his form prior to RWC 2011 was good enough to get him in the squad not necessary starting.

He had a poor world cup but when you balance that with most of the squad you can see why.

 

[TNT88]

One of the questions I ask pro players when I meet them is "who are the hardest tacklers". Johny Wilkinson comes up almost every time.

Good on him, he probably retired at the right time.

 

[Teh Mite]

Jonny is a legend. Will be missed! For the sake of England this better not mean Toby Flood is captain.


You´ve been wasting everyones time with nothing posts for way too long Teh Mite. Now your insulting others..... Your take on humour is below the belt. Does nothing to contribute to debates. Just really immature.

That must be your first posts where not announcing Argentina as the moral winners of every competition. Ever. Bravo.

 

[Peat]

Just saw something crazy, has Wilkinson really on scored 6 tries in his 91 caps?

Thought he would have reached at least double figures, 10 man rugby 'n all that

An example of the extreme unselfishness of the man - he made for others, not for himself.

 

[Teh Mite]

An example of the extreme unselfishness of the man - he made for others, not for himself.

By sitting deep and kicking overlaps away or perennially attempting drop goals any time his team was within 25m of the line?

 

[fusuke78]

For me, and for a lot of french rugby fans, Jonny will remain one of the best flyhalf that ever walked on a rugby pitch, one of the greatest rugby player of all-time.

Just watch the comments on this article from L'Equipe, it's the FIRST time I see EVERYONE showing huge respect to a champion. Even french trolls don't post their silly comments on him...
In France, we're particularly good at being always unhappy or ungreatful about great champions. Lately, Arsenal has made a statue of Thierry Henry, and 60% of comments about the article are negative about him... but NOT a SINGLE ONE against Sir Jonny.

If you want to read the comments, it's rare when french people are cheering about an englishman (just copy and paste the page on google translator):
http://www.lequipe.fr/comms/2011/12/20111212_192825_wilkinson-arrete-la-selection_0.html

Despite being the most brilliant kicker of all-time, he continues to practice more than every young rookie. In Toulon, Wilkinson is still a kicking machine. In two weeks after he came to Toulon, he could answer in French to journalists. He is the symbol of professionalism, an example to youngsters. He has a perfect attitude on and out the pitch. Really, I have nothing negative to say about him.

Jonny, you'll be missed during the 6N. But in a way, in France we're happy not to see you again with the white shirt ! You've been a nightmare for us all these years, and that's not one poor game against us in quarterfinals who will change that.

Chapeau l'artiste !

 

[oldscumbagonian]

Interesting thread on the Guardian site this morning about JW's retirement from international rugby. One post particularly stands out in which the writer recalls JW undertaking kicking practice at Reading University the day before a match at the Madjeski. Just him and his coach. Gradually word spread around the Uni that he was practising and before long there were about a 1000 people standing around the pitch. Afterwards he chatted with the crowd and signed autographs. A real model for rugby and all sport. Sure, he can be criticised for some of his performances latterly but maybe that was as much to do with the style of rugby England were playing (or trying to play). He seems to be doing quite nicely at Toulon!

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Seven tries in 97 caps (including Lions), as much as Stephen Jones, Andrew Mehrtens, one more than David Humphreys and six more than Grant Fox.
36 drop goals. That's one every 2.7 games (in France we probably received some of the most painful ones, after the aussies of course).
He kicked 169 conversions, which tells how good (or bad) he was at creating tries. That's more than Neil Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Michael Lynagh and Andrew Mehrtens.
Obviously we will remember mostly for his kicking (and defense) but saying he was not good a playmaker is way off imo.
He retires on time, good for him and we are (almost) all grateful, but at this very moment he is not a loss for rugby. He's still a very effective club player, and could be for a few years still. Then he will become the most valuable kicking coach in history.

 

[nickdnz]

Seven tries in 97 caps (including Lions), as much as Stephen Jones, Andrew Mehrtens, one more than David Humphreys and six more than Grant Fox.
36 drop goals. That's one every 2.7 games (in France we probably received some of the most painful ones, after the aussies of course).
He kicked 169 conversions, which tells how good (or bad) he was at creating tries. That's more than Neil Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Michael Lynagh and Andrew Mehrtens.
Obviously we will remember mostly for his kicking (and defense) but saying he was not good a playmaker is way off imo.
He retires on time, good for him and we are (almost) all grateful, but at this very moment he is not a loss for rugby. He's still a very effective club player, and could be for a few years still. Then he will become the most valuable kicking coach in history.

Andrew Mehrtens stats I'd say are more impressive considering he scored more points per game, the same number of tries and conversions (exactly the same, not less...) and he did it in 28 less tests. Wilkinson scored many more drop goals and penalties, which wouldn't indicate he set up many tries. Daniel Carter, Grant Fox, Andrew Mehrtens and Diego Dominguez scored more points on average than Wilkinson.

My thoughts on Wilkinson are pretty simple. He was exactly what England needed in 2003. With a great forward pack and creative inside and outside options in Dawson, Greenwood and Catt, he had the accuracy, defense and composure to be very good. He's much like Morne Steyn was in 2009, extremely accurate and could control a game going forward. The problem with Wilkinson however, is that he just isn't a creative player. I thought he was overhyped by the English media to no end. I don't think he could run a backline like Larkham, Mehrtens could and Daniel Carter can, which is why I think England have struggled so much, as their forward pack hasn't been the same monster it was in 2003 and their backline was never going to be unleashed under Wilkinson (not that this was all his fault).

 

[no-1-rugby-fan]

Good, he was a great player but his best days had long gone. He was only brought back into the squad for his celebrity and hero status. He reminds me of David Beckham.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Andrew Mehrtens stats I'd say are more impressive considering he scored more points per game, the same number of tries and conversions (exactly the same, not less...) and he did it in 28 less tests. Wilkinson scored many more drop goals and penalties, which wouldn't indicate he set up many tries. Daniel Carter, Grant Fox, Andrew Mehrtens and Diego Dominguez scored more points on average than Wilkinson.

My thoughts on Wilkinson are pretty simple. He was exactly what England needed in 2003. With a great forward pack and creative inside and outside options in Dawson, Greenwood and Catt, he had the accuracy, defense and composure to be very good. He's much like Morne Steyn was in 2009, extremely accurate and could control a game going forward. The problem with Wilkinson however, is that he just isn't a creative player. I thought he was overhyped by the English media to no end. I don't think he could run a backline like Larkham, Mehrtens could and Daniel Carter can, which is why I think England have struggled so much, as their forward pack hasn't been the same monster it was in 2003 and their backline was never going to be unleashed under Wilkinson (not that this was all his fault).

Sure, I agree. But I wanted to say he wasn't only his kicking, as some seem to think. I was pointing out that his trycount is not low when compared to other very highly regarded flyhalves, nor is the amount of tries his teammates scored. And that he didn't score as many dropgoals as paople say (I mean, he did score a lot, but certainly his gameplan was not to "enter the 22m line and attempt a dropkick"). He certainly couldn't run a backline as Cater or Larkham could (I was never a fan of Mehrtens tbh), but many fans and journalists are too extreme in their categorising of Jonny's game.

 

[RetiredRog]

What a man, what a player, what an inspiration, a true England great...We''ll never forget.

 

[Saintjay]

Good, he was a great player but his best days had long gone. He was only brought back into the squad for his celebrity and hero status. He reminds me of David Beckham.

Ok so who should have gone in his place, given his form leading up to the WC was very good.

 

[Saintjay]

Ok so who should have gone in his place, given his form leading up to the WC was very good.

I aslo think he tried to shrug the media as much as possible, you don't see him on every page of Hello magazine or doing TV shows like other notorious celebs from the rugby world.

Who got picked to be in the Wales pre-world cup squad and barring injury may well have gone.