Renowned fly-half Jonny Wilkinson responded to the news of losing one of English rugby’s most illustrious records this past weekend.
The record in focus pertains to being England’s all-time leading scorer. Owen Farrell is on the cusp of surpassing Wilkinson’s remarkable total of 1,179 points, needing just two more against Samoa this Saturday.
“They are just numbers but, when it represents enjoyment, embracing and engaging in the game, and feeling like your career is worthwhile, that’s what counts,” Wilkinson told the Telegraph.
“It’s cool – I work with Owen, I know him reasonably well and it’s brilliant.”
He was then asked how he approaches life as a pundit for ITV Sport.
“I approach it with enormous diligence,” he says. “I’m interested in what it takes to perform, how you connect to that zone-like experience of total immersion in what you are doing. That’s my life. My absolute life. It’s the basis of all my relationships, the basis of what I do in my professional life…[to] just make the most of this gift we have of life. I cannot forget it for one second.
“I’ve been working my entire life to talk about what I’m talking about. Which is why I keep to what I know. My diligence is much more around the concept of the preparation and the experience of the playing and performing; the skills, the coming together and all the mental and emotional side.
“The statistical side I find interesting but I have always sided on the power of the human element: the creativity, the resilience, the ability to come through at any time when things connect. Therefore some things I find difficult.”
Jonny Wilkinson Has Been Voted The Greatest Ever Rugby Player In History
20. Sergio Parisse (Italy)
19. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
18. Jason Leonard (England)
17. Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand)
16. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)