Sir Clive Woodward has taken a massive gamble today by naming Jonny Wilkinson to the unaccustomed role of inside centre for the first Test of the British Isles tour against the All Blacks on Saturday.
Although a regular centre in his school days, it will be Wilkinson’s first international start in the No 12 jersey since he played outside Mike Catt in a losing England team against Wales in 1999.
Woodward also set the cat amongst the pigeons with his back three selection, in that the most regular fullback on tour, Josh Lewsey, finds himself on the right wing, while following just one indifferent match at wing, Jason Robinson is handed the No 15 shirt.
With the Lions having staggered through their pre-Test matches in unconvincing form, Woodward has plumped for Wilkinson, 26, as inside centre in an unprecedented show of faith in his World Cup-winning fly half.
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Wilkinson joins captain Brian O’Driscoll in a centre pairing that has only played 20 minutes together on tour - against Wellington. The switch means that Stephen Jones, the Welsh Grand Slam winner, gets the nod at fly half outside half-back Dwayne Peel, while another member of England’s World Cup-winning side, Will Greenwood, takes up a spot on the bench.
“The cards are on the table now and I’m just looking forward to Saturday,” Woodward said. “I went with Jonny because I almost feel that centre is his better position, outside Stephen Jones, and you make your calls and then you stick by them. The Welsh half backs were the two I was looking at especially after their performance against France in the second half during the Six Nations, so once I knew Jonny was fit and knowing him as a footballer I had to look at my options.”
Wilkinson is adamant that the switch won’t harm him or the Lions and he insists he would rather attack from a wider position anyway.
“Once you get going, I like to get a bit further away from the breakdown in attack because I don’t think it is necessarily the best place for a fly half to be,” he said. “It is not that much of a change for me and I don’t look into what happened against Wellington too much. Stephen Jones told me I was moving along and I did. It was no big deal.”
O’Driscoll added that for a class player such as Wilkinson it did not matter which position he was in.
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“World class is world class and that is what Jonny is,” he said. “He fills everyone around him with confidence and is just a joy to play with.”
Woodward has leant heavily on his England World Cup winners. Six of the starting XV in the 2003 final have been awarded a start on Saturday, while Steve Thompson and Matt Dawson join Greenwood on the bench.
O’Driscoll is one of three Irishmen who will start the match at Jade Stadium. The Welsh get four guaranteed Test caps and England eight.
There is no Scottish representation in the squad to make the first Test the power of three rather than four.
Along with Lewsey and Robinson, Gareth Thomas, the Wales captain, completes the back trio, while the in-form Peel completes the back line at scrum-half.
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In the pack, hooker Shane Byrne is rewarded for an outstanding tour with the Test jersey, and he will have another man on form in Gethin Jenkins alongside him. Julian White is the expected tighthead prop. Ben Kay and Paul O’Connell have been given the responsibility of securing lineout ball for the Lions.
The key battle will be at the breakdown where the Lions have put up the English trio of Richard Hill, No 8 Martin Corry and Neil Back, the veteran openside flanker, against Richie McCaw, Jerry Collins and Rodney So’oialo.
The Lions squad:
Jason Robinson (ENG), Josh Lewsey (ENG), Brian ODriscoll (IRL) - captain, Jonny Wilkinson (ENG), Gareth Thomas (WAL), Stephen Jones (WAL), Dwayne Peel (WAL), Martin Corry (ENG), Neil Back (ENG), Richard Hill (ENG), Ben Kay (ENG), Paul OConnell (IRL), Julian White (ENG), Shane Byrne (IRL), Gethin Jenkins (WAL)
Replacements:
Steve Thompson (ENG), Graham Rowntree (ENG), Danny Grewcock (ENG), Ryan Jones (WAL), Matt Dawson (ENG), Will Greenwood (ENG), Shane Horgan (IRL)