Jonny: My Autobiography
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Authors: Jonny Wilkinson
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First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2011
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Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library
eISBN : 9780755362905
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Contents
Jonny Wilkinson in Statistics (to October 10th 2011)
Jonny Wilkinson became England’s youngest international player for 71 years when he made his debut at the age of 18 in April 1998. He has since won 91 caps for his country and is the second most prolific points scorer in Test rugby. In the 2003 World Cup he scored the drop goal that won the tournament. He endured a succession of injuries that kept him out of international action for over three years but he returned to help England make it to the final of the 2007 World Cup. He has also won six caps for the British and Irish lions. He was awarded the MBE in 2003, and the OBE a year later. Jonny played club rugby for Newcastle from 1997 until 2009. He currently plays for Toulon in France.
Owen Slot, who assisted Jonny with the writing of this book, is the Chief Sports Reporter of
The Times
.
It is going to be very difficult to get this part right and do justice to so many who have done so much for me.
In terms of this book, thank you to all the guys at Headline Publishing, especially Jonathan Taylor. Thank you to Owen Slot for your tireless effort in writing it with me, and an even bigger thank you for pretending that you enjoyed doing so.
For the stories I have been able to tell in the book I must first of all thank my parents, Mame and Bilks, and my brother Sparks. You will never truly know, I don’t think, what a life you have given me. I couldn’t have asked for any more support or for a more special family, and to think of all the things I’ve put you through over the years!
To my beautiful girlfriend Shelley, thank you for being such a great person, helping me stay balanced and for always being there for me.
To Blackie, your knowledge and ability still astounds me every day. I
have always struggled to comprehend just how inspirational and selfless one person can be. It has been an honour to tread this path with you. As you, my brother and I well know, our best days are still to come.
To Dave Alred, thank you for letting me in on your genius. There simply is no one around to match you in your field. Thank you for always helping me to get better despite all the stick you’ve had to take from me throughout the last 16 seasons.
I would like to mention my sponsors Adidas, Gillette and Jaguar as well as all those who have sponsored me in the past. You have made me feel valued and have supported me through some very difficult times. Thank you.
To Tim Buttimore, my long-time friend and off the field manager, thank you for being a really good guy, being straight up, honest and right there when I needed you.
I would like to thank my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and my lovely little niece Matilda.
I would like to thank all my friends, all the players and coaches I have played with, and all those I have played against too. You have all had a big hand in making my career what it has been. You have also all played a massive part in allowing me to remain myself and in allowing rugby to remain what it is has always been to me, the greatest team game there is.
Finally, and this is very important to me, I would like all the supporters who have written to me, sent their best wishes or shouted for me to know just how much you have mattered and what a difference you have made in my life. Those messages and cheers have helped to create unforgettable memories and have brought the best out of me. In darkest moments they have pushed me to get back up and they have helped motivate me to fight on and keep going. You have been amazing. Thank you.
I never thought it would come to this. I never thought I could possibly ask the question do I want to play for England any more?
Eighty times I have played for England – more than twelve long years of chasing my dreams. I can’t believe I can even consider quitting the chase. Three World Cups I have played and if I can hang on for another year, I could be playing my fourth. Yet right now I don’t know if I want to go that far. I don’t know how to end my England story. What I do know is that I don’t want it to carry on like this.
Today, 9 October 2010, at the Stade Mayol, Toulon, the club I love dearly, play Ospreys, from Wales, in the Heineken Cup. Martin Johnson, the England manager, will be there to watch and tomorrow, down on the seafront, where bars and restaurants overlook the Mediterranean, we are due to meet.
The last time I saw Johnno was a few months ago in Sydney, and I told him that England and I had maybe gone as far as we can go. Maybe it’s time
for me to stop. But I get the feeling that, tomorrow, he will be wanting to talk about the forthcoming autumn internationals, about England’s opposition, about game plans and calls, about my role in the side and how England are going to play. It’s my duty to be honest, though. The conversation topic in my head is not what role I should play; it’s whether I’m going to play at all.
With England, my confidence has just disappeared. I feel lower than I have ever felt before. I don’t want my journey to end here, not like this. The thought of not playing for England again makes me sick, but I simply do not know if I can carry on.
Toulon is a different matter. When I arrive at the Stade Mayol for the game, I could not feel more different. Here, among this group of players from all around the world, I feel high. There is a different handshake for almost every nationality – the Australian George Smith, possibly the greatest openside flanker I’ve ever seen; Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, the ridiculously skilled and driven Argentinian back-rower; Joe Van Niekerk, the Springbok game-winning captain you’d happily die for; Carl Hayman, the rock-like Kiwi prop capable of playing anywhere on the field. These four alone have nearly 250 caps between them.
They seem to gain strength purely from me being here, as I do from them. But our mutual respect is not built on how many caps anybody has won. It’s a respect for ability and desire, for what we’ve been through together, knowing that each player is always prepared to give everything and that each one of us will support the others unconditionally. I belong here. In this changing room, I treasure that sense of belonging. It’s not the same right now with England.
We have found our form, too. We’ve won our last four games and I have been performing well all season. My confidence, which was so shot last summer in Australia with England, is seeping back. I feel like I am worth
something here – the responsibility I am given on the pitch, the respect my teammates give me. Maybe I’m worth what I’m paid.
