Throughout the Guinness Six Nations, Owen Farrell has struggled with his goalkicking, prompting England to seek guidance from Jonny Wilkinson.
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So far, Farrell has only managed to complete seven out of his 15 shots at goal in the first three rounds of England’s campaign, resulting in a success rate of just 47 percent.
The most challenging game for the red rose captain was the 20-10 victory over Wales, where he could only convert two out of six attempts.
Reacting to the return of Wilkinson to the coaching set up, one fan wrote: “It’s about time, our kicking has been awful,”
Sinfield on recruiting Jonny:
“He is working incredibly hard but he has done from the moment he walked into camp,” Sinfield said of Farrell.
“It is an area of his game he is incredibly proud of and he has been incredibly successful with over a long period of time. It has been a blip for him and he will work his way through it.
“He works closely with Jonny and he has a team to support him, we have got [interim attack coach and former Harlequins and New Zealand fly-half] Nick Evans, who was a great goal-kicker in his own right, in our coaching team.
“We will all continue to work with Owen but when you are a guy of his stature and you have got that many caps under your belt you know what you need and it won’t be too long before he is back to his best.”
Farrell on his kicking woes:
“Half of it is overthinking, so it’s about trying to take it back. I obviously know how to kick,” Farrell said.
“I’ve hit some where I’ve missed but have been happy with how I’ve hit them. I’ve hit some where I’ve been off.
“It’s trying not to overthink one or the other too much, trying not to fix everything and just to get back to kicking the ball as well as I can.
“It’s also having an attitude that irons them all out – a whole view of it so that you don’t overly pick at little things, which is probably what I’ve been doing.
“But I’ve been in this situation before and I’m sure I will again at some point, so it’s making sure I get back to enjoying my kicks.
“Part of the answer is trying not to work every single kick out and bounce around from one thing to another. It’s just to kick.”
Jonny Wilkinson named in the greatest rugby XV of all-time
15. Serge Blanco (France)
The French icon’s international career with France saw the flamboyant fullback perform various outlandish levels of skill while winning Five Nation Grand Slams in 1981 and 1987 as well as four further titles.
Blanco was a threat from everywhere on the field and often took risks that we very rarely see nowadays. In total, he won 93 caps for France during his 11-year international career between 1980 and 1991, which was a record when he retired.
He also scored an imposing 233 points and is a true legend of the sport.
Did you know: Images of Blanco’s on-field heroics can always be viewed ironically alongside images of him strutting along the touchline nursing a cigarette.
Honourable mentions: JPR Williams (Wales), Jason Robinson (England), Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
14. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
The New Zealander remains the joint all-time top try scorer at the Rugby World Cup along with Bryan Habana, crossing the whitewash on 15 different occasions across the 1995 and 1999 tournaments. The easiest selection in a greatest ever XV.
Originally of Tongan descent, it was Lomu who made it glamorous to be a big, bruising winger, even though his stature could have easily seen him fill in at centre or somewhere in the pack.
Much like the Juggernaut of the Marvel Universe, there wasn’t much that could stop Lomu once he’d gotten into a stride.
Did you know: In September 2009, Lomu took part in an amateur bodybuilding contest, finishing second in two categories
Honourable mentions: Bryan Habana (South Africa), Doug Howlett (New Zealand), Shane Williams (Wales)
13. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
The former Ireland and British and Irish Lions Skipper Brian O’Driscoll was one of the most consistent performers in the world for over a decade.
He hung up his boots in 2014 after accumulating 133 caps for Ireland with a fantastic return of 245 points. In the emerald green, he triumphed in the Six Nations in 2009 (Grand Slam) and 2014 as well as being chosen as Player of the Tournament in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
The Dublin-born is also the highest all-time Irish record try scorer with an incredible 46 scores, and also led his country more times than any other player.