retiring in a blaze of glory in 2014, it seemed as though Jonny Wilkinson got a little ahead of himself for the first time in his life.
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England’s World Cup-winning number 10 was widely expected to be honoured with a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s honours list and even tweeted out what looked like the gist of a humble acceptance speech.
The European and French champion with Toulon did manage to row back on his original (now deleted) Tweet to offer congratulations to all the non-perfect people who did make it on this year’s list.
Maybe next year, JW.
EDITORS PICKS:
- ‘Owen Farrell to start first test for the Lions against the Wallabies’
- Statement: World Rugby issue updates on Darcy Graham and Jasper Wiese bans
- Wales fans fuming after Andy Farrell’s latest Lions call-ups – “GEOGRAPHY 6!”
- Team of the Week: George Ford’s leadership sees England get over the line in Argentina
- Ronan O’Gara Goes Bold with His Lions XV – No Room for Sheehan or Furlong
1/10: Four players who flopped this weekend, including underperforming Lion
It was a dramatic weekend of international rugby action, with several nations putting on dominant displays in their friendly fixtures.
From Ireland’s 106-point demolition of Portugal to Uruguay’s shock 70-8 thrashing of Romania, there was no shortage of headlines. But while some players soared, others failed to deliver on expectations — including a key British & Irish Lions player who was a shadow of his usual self despite the team’s 48-0 win.
Weekend Results – Friendly Internationals:
- Fiji 29–14 Scotland
- Wales 31–22 Japan
- New Zealand 43–17 France
- South Africa 45–0 Italy
- Ireland 106–7 Portugal
- Uruguay 70–8 Romania
- England 22–17 Argentina
Lions Tour:
- British & Irish Lions 48–0 Invitational AU & NZ
Stay tuned as we break down the four biggest underperformers from this round of matches — starting with a Lion who looked completely off the pace.
Darcy Graham (SCOTLAND)
A disastrous outing marked by poor discipline and costly decisions. He received two yellow cards — the second upgraded to red — with one reckless offside intercept near the try line proving game-changing. His confidence looked rattled following his Lions omission, and a finger injury only added to a thoroughly forgettable performance.
Rugby Pass 4/10: “Two yellow cards, the second upgraded to red, bookended a frustrating afternoon. First infringement was marginal but the second, for an offside intercept metres from the line, killed the game. Injured his finger in the process.:
RUCK 2/10: “Poor discipline marred his performance. A needless yellow card in the first half nearly cost a penalty try, before a second infringement and subsequent red sealed a forgettable outing. Confidence clearly shaken after Lions omission.”
