Jonny Wilkinson returns with a spring in his step

 
Chris Jones18 May 2012

Jonny Wilkinson and Jonathan Sexton are at different ends of their careers but both carry the same heavy weight of expectation as the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup come to thrilling climaxes in London.

Wilkinson will spearhead Toulon’s bid for the Amlin trophy — their first silverware in 20 years — in tonight’s final against Biarritz at the Twickenham Stoop in what could be one of his last appearances on English soil.

“It’s a joy to get back to England to play, especially just across the road from headquarters,” said the fly-half, who will be 33 next week.

“I have always enjoyed playing at the Twickenham Stoop. It’s a great ground, and is also the area where I grew up as a kid. It’s a different way of life in France, and that kind of transposes itself in the way the game is played. It has been a joy for me but it is tough to put into words.”

Wilkinson, who retired from England duty after the World Cup having won 91 caps, is used to being under the spotlight and is already a rugby great — a status that many expect Sexton to achieve, particularly if he leads Leinster to a third Heineken Cup triumph in four years when they face Ulster at Twickenham tomorrow.

Sexton has 29 caps and has been trying to take control of the Ireland No10 jersey only for coach Declan Kidney to keep recalling veteran Munster outside-half Ronan O’Gara. However, another ­Leinster triumph would significantly increase Sexton’s standing.

The 26-year-old said: “It’s something I’m asked about all the time. There is a bit of a perception that I play better for Leinster than Ireland. I’ve had some brilliant days for Ireland and some not so good ones. It was the same with Leinster early on. It is not always easy for an outside-half to control things straight away. You have to learn how to play as well as how those around you play, and Test rugby is different from the provincial game.

“An international squad come together at various times during a season and play fewer matches than a provincial team. As an outside-half, you rely on your skills and those around you. It’s hard to judge a 10 merely on his own.”

Leinster were, at one stage, 16 points behind Northampton in last year’s final but produced a 27-point burst to lift the trophy and now they are trying to ­follow Leicester’s lead and hold onto the most prestigious title in Northern Hemisphere rugby.

He added: “It will be a bit different from last year in that it is an Irish derby. We know Ulster well and it will be a tough, physical game. What has happened in the past will have no relevance tomorrow. They came through a very hard group that included Clermont and Leicester and we know we will have to be at our best.”

With English clubs failing to make an impact in Europe this season, it has fallen to Toulon to attract local interest with their team boasting England international Steffon Armitage along with former Saracens lock Kris Chesney. Iain Balshaw, a 2003 World Cup winner, is at full-back for Biarritz.

With England lacking a genuine No7, the absence of Armitage from the national squad is bemusing many, given he has just been voted the best player in the French Top14 competition.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster has contacted Armitage this week to tell him he does figure in his plans but Toulon’s success this season — they are chasing the domestic title as well — means the flanker cannot be released in time for next month’s three-Test tour of South Africa.

Heineken Cup final: Leinster v Ulster, Twickenham, tomorrow, 5pm, Live on Sky Sports 3

Amlin Challenge Cup final: Toulon v Biarritz, Twickenham Stoop, tonight, 8pm, Live on Sky Sports 1

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in