RUGBY INTERVIEW WITH JONNY WILKINSON: The man who kicked England to a World Cup win tells MIKE AVERISthat life begins at 30, and the south of France is no better place to start it
WITH TEMPERATURES nudging 35 degrees, the beaches bulging with holidaymakers, and fires in the hills above nearby Marseille, the French rugby season, and arguably an important part of England’s as well, kicks off on the Cote d’Azur this weekend.
Toulon versus Brive at the Stade Felix-Mayol last evening was the first of the season’s friendlies and between them the clubs shared so much English talent that Martin Johnson could have made a decent argument for a couple of days by the Mediterranean.
After the spring signing season Brive now have Riki Flutey, Jamie Noon and Shaun Perry on their books alongside Andy Goode and Steve Thompson, while Toulon did the biggest deal of the lot, persuading Jonny Wilkinson to switch from Newcastle.
For English rugby, the deal was seismic. Forget the money, forget the injuries, forget that he is now 30, Wilkinson commands attention like no other player. Much rides on the deal struck between Toulon’s colourful owner, Mourad Boudjellal, and the man who kicked the points that won England the World Cup, but so far things look better than promising.
Wilkinson says he feels a “decade younger”, and it looked that way as he contributed two penalties in the opening 40 minutes before being taken off at half-time as Toulon led 9-3 in a feisty ‘friendly.
After summer he looks tanned and super-fit and if the early start to the season and the heat are strange he seems unworried. “It’s a little different to rugby in England,” he says. “In England, we start (the season) at the beginning of September. Here, it’s a little earlier but the friendlies will be important for the team and for me in terms of finding form before the season starts.”
Wilkinson and his girlfriend Shelley Jenkins have found a house which the club will rent and the two cars that came as part of the contract worth about €745,000 a year arrived this week. Club and city are clearly satisfied with what they have seen.
“He’s a special person,” says the team manager Tom Whitford. Ask around at one of the many harbourside restaurants and you will hear how important it was that Wilkinson had started his French lessons long before signing on M Boudjellal’s dotted line.
From day one Wilkinson has impressed everyone here. More than 5,000 turned out for his first training session and they have since heard him say repeatedly – and in French – that while he is a proud Englishman and very happy to be back in Johnson’s elite squad, it is Toulon and the start of the season proper, the August 14th game against Stade Francais, that is dominating his thoughts.
That was what Toulon wanted to hear. The port city, home to France’s Mediterranean fleet, was once a rugby stronghold as well. They were champions three times, the last time in 1992, before a hole was found in the club’s books and in 1999 they became the first to suffer relegation for financial irregularities. Since then they have been unable to stay up when promoted to the Top 14.
Boudjellal, a rugby-mad son of Toulon who made his money from comic books, took over four seasons ago, launching into a series of high-profile signings. Coachloads of galacticos, some at the wrong end of their careers, were hired and others like Dan Carter were approached. Victor Matfield, George Gregan, Jerry Collins and Anton Oliver did not hang around long.
Oliver checked in the second half of his two-year contract. “Madness? Yes, that’s a good word for it. It’s a train wreck,” said the former All Black hooker, while exonerating his former New Zealand captain Tana Umaga, then still the coach, from blame. “It’s not a reflection on Tana, but powers greater than that.”
Wilkinson and his advisers looked closely before agreeing a deal which is for one year, but which could extend to three. He did not sign until Toulon were guaranteed promotion and by then it was known that Umaga would be making way for Philippe Saint-Andre as head coach, with the former All Black captain looking after the backs.
In fact, Saint-Andre has been steering Toulon since before Christmas which accounts for the more level-headed signings of the summer. From Sale, Toulon brought Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe and Sebastien Bruno, while Felipe Contepomi moved from Leinster along with Premiership stalwarts Tom May, Rory Lamont and Kris Chesney.
Whitford says Wilkinson’s arrival offers more to the project than a quality number 10. “He’s the perfect professional. He not only works hard at his own game but we’ve got a 19-year-old fly-half (Romain Barthelemy) on our books and he has been working with him every day.”
In Pierre Mignoni, the 32-year-old scrumhalf from Clermont Auvergne, Wilkinson clearly sees a soul-mate. “I have always been a perfectionist but now my definition of perfection has changed. When I was younger I had specific aims and goals to achieve, but now I just want to get the best out of myself every time I train or play. It’s not as goal-orientated as it was.
"He (Mignoni) is motivated by the same things as I am, be it working hard, wanting to be the best and wanting to win. It doesn't take much effort to play with someone like him because he's very professional. He's got a habit of doing the important things all the time, day after day. I need to learn a lot here but I am fit and it's not hard to play with these guys." Guardian Service
