HE HAS accumulated 100 minutes of action in the past ten days — which is nearly twice the playing time he enjoyed for Newcastle Falcons in the whole of last season — and tomorrow Jonny Wilkinson is expected to play 80 minutes for the first time since dropping the goal that won England the World Cup in November 2003.
Admittedly, the opposition at Kingston Park is a notch or two down, even if Pertemps Bees, the National League first division club, gave London Wasps a nasty sting in the Powergen Cup six months ago. But Wilkinson, who has made a full recovery from a shoulder operation, has shown all his old zest in Newcastle’s two warm-up games in Ireland and should be in prime condition when he begins a new Zurich Premiership season against Worcester on September 5.
“The plan is, if everything goes well, for him to play 80 minutes,” Rob Andrew, the Newcastle director of rugby, said. “Physically, he has coasted through our two games. You wouldn’t have thought he had been out for eight months and he’s looking really sharp.”
Wilkinson, co-captain of his club with Ian Peel, is one of a 27-strong squad named to play the Bees, although Andrew does not contemplate mass substitutions.
If England’s Premiership clubs seek this weekend to put the finishing touches to their squads in friendly matches before the competition begins in earnest, the situation is somewhat different for Wasps tonight. The first Anglo-Celtic challenge, also sponsored by Zurich, takes place against Llanelli Scarlets at Stradey Park and, like it or not, national pride is at stake.
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Wasps, champions of England and Europe, have a clutch of long-term injuries, to which have been added Alex King (knee) and Simon Shaw (neck), but there is no lack of colour in a team that features the two recruits from Northampton, Matt Dawson and James Brooks, at half back. With Stuart Abbott, Fraser Waters and Ron Hoadley all unavailable, Peter Richards appears as a makeshift centre.
“You don’t get many chances to go to a place like Llanelli, so this is a challenge for us,” Lawrence Dallaglio, the England captain said. “We know there’ll be a bit of England v Wales rivalry in there, but it’s a chance for us to find out where we’re at.”
Llanelli will be keen to see Gareth Bowen filling the boots vacated at fly half by Stephen Jones, as the four Welsh regions continue the debate with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over the availability of national squad members for Celtic League duty. The Irish Rugby Union has removed its squad players from the first three rounds of the competition, but the WRU wants a compromise that meets the needs of country and regions. One decision made in Wales has been the election as union president of Keith Rowlands, the former lock who was the IRB’s first chief executive, in succession to Sir Tasker Watkins .
Saracens have added Mike Byrne, Scotland’s kicking coach, to their support staff, but this evening’s scheduled match against Harlequins has been cancelled because of a viral outbreak.