Wilkinson retires from international rugby

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/16151002.stm

Looks like he wont be around anymore, who will be backup to Flood in the 6Ns then?

In a similar way that MJ's time as manager will not diminish his hero status amongst England fans JW's recent poorish form will never detract from the many amazing performances that he did put in.

A RWC and won in the manner he did it can never be taken away. Plus amazing form pre 2003 during the grand slam. He even had a running cutting edge back then as he tried to style himself on Jason Robinson. Massive tackler and a good passer.

And the way he has come back countless times from injury is inspirational. Fairly OCD in his approach, but a legend for all that he has done. Hopefully he can enjoy some decent rugby in the sun before he is finally done.

Great servant, we will miss you Wilko. Hope Burns is brought in as backup.

The greatest kicker we have ever had, one of the greatest players we have ever had. Sad to see him go but he went at the right time (unlike Beckham), I will never forget what he did at he 2003 and 2007 RWCs and the 2000-03 era. A true legend.

i think its the right decision for him and england.
good luck to him, he can play out the rest of his career without the spot light of the english media hanging over him and im sure toulon will see some fantastic rugby from him.

A wise decision,since 2003 he has had so many injuries he was not the same player.
A great Servant for England,only Andrew Merthens of the same period was
Better[in my opinion]tackling excepted.
Owen Farrell may well follow his father into an England shirt,well done Jonny for not being an obstacle to the Rebuild of England.

Considering he didn't really play between 2003 and 2007 then 91 caps is an amazing achievement, Certainly the best 10 to have played for England and will be rightly remembered as a rugby great.

As for back up. Don't think Burns or Farrell are ready yet, maybe Lamb but he's not strong enough defensively. Hodgson may become like Easter, where as there is nobody really banging on the selection door and be picked for the overall good of the team as opposed to forcing someone who is not ready or good enough.

he is one of the few england players i have always admired, respected and truly like and that from me is one of the greatest compliments i can give to an england player , a great servant to rugby and a shame to see him retire- although at least wales can now benefit from having a slightly worse goal kicker kicking penalties against them =D

You cant not admire Wilkinson, had plenty of bad luck with injuries over the majority of his career, missed some of the best years.

Best of luck to him, he changed the profile of modern No10s wit his tackling and was the rounded model proffesional that kids should use as role models not others that are around today.

I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times when I worked in the North East and he was genuienely nice bloke, always happy to chat and sign autographs etc.

On a playing front I think he went on maybe a season to long with England BUT after all his injuries and the way he kept coming back - well it would have finished lesser players.

Pob Luc Johnny

Hardly surprising given he extended his contract with Toulon AFTER being told it would stop him being selected. There was hardly anything positive during the World cup to change him mind.

Fair play to him anyway. Right time I think.

Hodgson in as backup for Flood. Barritt can be 3rd choice in case of emergency.

He was part of a great England set up and despite obviously personality issues that made him appear somewhat tormented at times he clearly had big balls when he kicked england to RWC 2003. But a world cup too far due to england's lack of depth at 10 and I hope his rep is not besmirched by England's performance at RWC 2011.

Great player, fantastic competitor and a brilliant ambassador for the game.

Its unfortunate he didn't get the send off he deserved but everyone who watched him in his prime knows how good he was.

I'm sure he'll enjoy playing for Toulon for a few seasons yet.

I'm actually sad i'll never get to see him wear the english rose again, he's been an english hero for a decade and given kids something to aspire to be like as supposed to some of the pre maddonas appearing now. As we all know his 2000-2003 days were his pomp but boy he has produced some magic after those days as well. The best defensive fly half ever to have graced the turf, and at one point he was the best kicker as well. Its a true mark of a legend when all you need to say is his first name and people know who you are talking about....good luck in the future Jonny.

Hodgson would be back-up on current form? I would choose Owen Farrell and Freddie Burns as back-ups too (and obviously Farrell offers a bit of versatility). Perhaps Englands backline could have a fairly Saracens look about it?

Great bloke but the injuries and then his own mentality ruined his later international career., In a way its lucky he achieved so much so young and will be remembered as a legend rather than a could have been.
His decision to stay in Toulon made this inevitable even if he'd had a good world cup, and saves Lancaster the dilema of not selecting him. Hes happier out of the international scene and away from the pressure, so itll work for everyone.

And so bows out an England legend, You can't not admire his commitment and the way he bounced back from so many injuries. Plus he is a charming bloke!

I wish him all the best with Toulon and hopefully he has a few injury free seasons to round off a great career.

I say good luck to him he has been a great servent to England over the years. The best 10 England have ever had.

It was just a shame that after winning the RWC in 2003 he had so many injuries it would have broken many a harder man than him.

Good luck on your retirement Johny Wilkinson.

Certainly the best 10 to have played for England and will be rightly remembered as a rugby great.

[quote]
really? A model professional, a great tackler and kicker from the tee but never that great with the ball in hand. Suited Englands style of 2003 very well.

time for him to go,time for English rugby to move on.

A great role model for any aspiring player and made the most of his talents

Great player, lovely bloke. He is (and was) all that is good about rugby: eloquent, smart, polite, a team player, reliable, tough as nails and a really fine player too.

He will be missed

Mr Bounce wrote:Great player, lovely bloke. He is (and was) all that is good about rugby: eloquent, smart, polite, a team player, reliable, tough as nails and a really fine player too.

He will be missed

+ 1

Timing. Is it that he doesn't like the new coach, the new coach doesn't like him or is it just a coincidence?

The right decision. For him he can play for several years in France, earn a good wedge whilst playing in warmer climes. Also made the decision for the good of England. Who would want to tell him that his time was up? If England are to start planning for the next WC then they have to bring on the next generation.

Good luck to him.

Without those injuries he could have racked up another 40 caps and maybe 500 points. No one would ever have caught him if he did that.

The fourth option then, the honourable sacrifice for the good of the team. That would certainly tie in with the way he has played and behaved as a professional rugby player. The highest compliment I can pay is that my heart would sink whenever he played Wales. A truly great all round outside half. A kicker in the mould of Fox, playmaker and tackler.

And think about his loyalty to us aswell guys...when he could easily have left earlier and won trophies galore....

Thank you Johnny, as a Falcon fan, England Fan and Lions Fan.....

Legend

Fantastic player, I think one of his best attributes as a 10 was his tackling ability. It will be interesting to see how England perform without him but i'm sure he won't leave too large a gap as Flood is pretty sound. Cipriani in with a chance now?

cipriani wouldnt even be considered till he was based in england, them hed have to show more ability and application than he has in aus
As for wilko most of englands good performances in the last few years have been without him.
hes been recalled numerous times on club form, and dropped on international form. in a way it will be good for the next manager to be clear of those two monkeys and be forced to look elsewhere not just for styp gaps ( goode ) but for long term viable players.
Flood has been more than adequate, although he had the dip through last winter. He and possibly Hodgson are now the experience that will help the likes of Burns and Farrel come through hopefuly.
If it all goes to pot wilko has kept himslef in good enough shape to spend 3 years taking it easy in France then come out of retirement and move back to england for one year and a glorious return fully refreshed relaxed and on his game ( hmm maybe)

I've been a Wales supporter since the mid-1950s and Jonny Wilkinson was the best tackling and place-kicking outside-half I've seen. In England's set-up and playing style, especially from 1998-2003, those qualities made him a matchwinner. He's a rugby perfectionist and a true sportsman. Wilkinson's been a great player and I hope he can enjoy a few more seasons of club rugby without the the pressure of international games.

But as a Welshman with a deep admiration for evasive, electrifying outside-halves with great handling and tactical kicking, Wilkinson hasn't thrilled me like Cliff Morgan, Dai Watkins, Barry John, Phil Bennett and Jonathan Davies. Plus "foreigners" such as Bev Risman, Richard Sharp, Mike Gibson, John Rutherford, Didier Camberabero and Mark Ella.

As has been said many times, none of those outside-halves ever held the world cup so in that sense they weren't as successful as Wilkinson. But they too were matchwinners and very successful in ways that he wasn't.

Probably the most dedicated, determined and greatest role model you could wish for in this great sport. The word 'Great' is overused but definitely not for wilko, LEGEND!

LuvSports! wrote:Probably the most dedicated, determined and greatest role model you could wish for in this great sport. The word 'Great' is overused but definitely not for wilko, LEGEND!

Probably my fave England player of all time and certainly an example to others for his talent and commitment...'Rest'....(in peace) Wilko...you've deserved it...

To me a true test of character is not when things are going well. No one can deny that Johhny was the hero of the 2003 effort. He even surpassed MJ in terms of overall glory. He was the poster boy and fair enough as cauliflower ears and a Klingon face are scary enough without having blown up images of them plastered all over the place.

But to me what showed Johnny was special was how he battled time and again to get back from injury. Even when it became obvious that injury was taking its toll, he never gave up and managed to play above his limitations. Of course he will be remembered for that drop goal and rightly so. But my lasting impression of him was a level-headed guy who never complained once about the bad luck he cruelly kept on experiencing and his determination to get back to the test team to play rugby at the highest level. For that sir, you will always have my utmost respect. Have a well deserved retirement. Hopefully he goes into commentary as Lord knows we could do with some level-headed objectivity and common sense in that arena!

Thanks for the memories JW.

Only downside is the 'what might have been' question of if he'd stayed fit and healthy following 03 - certainly the points scoring record would have been out of sight. However, the way Johnny put his body on the line, injuries were almost inevitable - would England have been a better team with a less combative but fitter JW over the last 8 years?

I am happy Jonny is retiring from international Rugby whilst still walking on two functioning legs and, frankly, whilst still playing and enjoying the sport he always loved..

To me, he was:
One of the best out halves of his generation
One of the most dedicated Rugby players of his generation
One of the toughest Rugby players of his generation
One of the finest sportmen of his time
One of the best sports role models I have ever seen.

Yes

And the trail blazer for Carter.

That would be the cross-breeding of Spencer and Merthens.

I always suspected you antipodeans were up to something.

not another one

first ikkle now johnny. im starting to feel old.

well done, johnny. that goal will follow you where ever you go.

I know dogtooth, its only a matter of time before Phil Vickery follows him

Legend, and all time great player, who has set the Benchmark for the rest, despite losing most of his career to injury. JW is not only a credit to Rugby, but also to himself and his country. What a man, player and all-round great Human being, as well as being a Role model for young people to emulate. He will be sorely missed for the many qualities he brings to our Game. Enjoy your retirement from Internationals and have a great future!!