Jonny Wilkinson's incredible bilingual team talk at Toulon has gone viral again - Ruck

Jonny Wilkinson’s incredible bilingual team talk at Toulon has gone viral again

Throwback to this incredible team talk Jonny Wilkinson gave to his Toulon teammates, speaking in both French and English.

It’s hard enough giving a passionate team talk in your native language, but England rugby hero  does it in both English and French.

The then 35-year-old delivered the epic speech as he captained former team Toulon to a European double in 2014.



He stands at the head of his teammates, who listen intently before they touch hands and shout enthusiastically as they head out for the second-half.

Reacting to the clip, one viewer wrote: “From a Springbok supporter – Jonny is a legend ….always admired his calmness, but never mistake that for weakness, as he is up there with the best ever,”

A second wrote: “A wonderfully gifted player ,a true sportsman, loved and respected in France,”

“Should have a knighthood by now,” commented a third.

Jonny Wilkinson facts:

  1. Wilkinson’s brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre. His father, Phil, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level.  His grandfather, Phil, also played football for Norwich.
  2. When former England centre Jeremy Guscott walked into the dressing room on the day of Wilkinson’s international debut, he thought the 18-year-old had won a competition to spend the day with the national team.
  3. Wilkinson followed Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, according to an interview he gave with The Times newspaper in 2009.
  4. Jonny and Shelley became parents for the first time in late 2018. They keep their private life pretty much on lockdown, but according to reports, they had a little boy called James while they were still living in France.
  5. Wilkinson is currently a studio pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cup and other rugby events.

Jonny Wilkinson Has Been Voted The Greatest Ever Rugby Player In History

England legend Jonny Wilkinson has been voted as the rugby’s greatest ever rugby player after a survey was conducted with more than 1000 fans participated. 

Forever remembered as the man whose last-gasp drop-goal won England the Rugby World Cup by edging past the hosts in Australia in 2003.

That moment is just one highlight of a record-breaking career that has seen Wilkinson rise to one of the sport’s all-time greats.

England won 67 of the 91 games Wilkinson played in with h1im scoring an outstanding total of 1,179 points. He also holds the Rugby World Cup points record with 277.

Within the top 20 players voted by the fans, New Zealand have the most representatives with five, including the likes of Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Zinzan Brooke.

The only player to make the list from the amateur era is Wales best ever player, and arguably the best scrum-half of all-time, Gareth Edwards.

Here is the list of the top 20 greatest ever rugby players voted by fans:

Greatest Ever Rugby Player: Top 20

20. Sergio Parisse (Italy)

19. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)

18. Jason Leonard (England)

17. Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand)

16. Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand)

15. Lawrence Dallaglio (England)

Lawrence Dallaglio facts:

  1. Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours
  2. Warren Gatland has said that Dallaglio was “The best captain that I’ve ever been involved with.”
  3. He is one of a very small number of players to have won both the Rugby World Cup and Sevens World Cup
  4. Dallaglio married his long-time girlfriend, Alice, in 2005. They have two daughters, Ella and Josie, and a son, Enzo
  5. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University for services to sport

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