Aussie claims Wilkinson should have been sent off in 2003 World Cup final
Rugby NewsMonday, 15 June 2020 at 09:34
Matt Giteau recalls his memories of the 2003 RWC final against England in his home country.
The versatile back pinpoints a moment where eventual match-winner Jonny Wilkinson hit him with a interesting looking tackle.
Video credit: Rugby Pass
Here is the incident.
Jonny Wilkinson facts: 8 things you didn’t know, including his secret son
Being one of the most popular players on the globe is likely to generate an incredible fan-base globally, but we are fairly confident that there are some aspects of Jonny Wilkinson’s life and career you are not familiar with.
Jonny Wilkinson facts:
1. Sporting family
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. Where does he live now?
"Berkshire, with my wife, Shelley, and our toddler. We’re fortunate to live in a lovely house in a great area surrounded by nice people, but we’re leaning towards moving somewhere more rural as we both love the outdoors, nature and space. We enjoy going for long walks. Windsor Great Park is a joy."
3. Competition winner
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.
4. Treasured possesions
"The Roland piano and a couple of Fender guitars. They come with me because there’s no end to what you can do with them. If you put me in a room with a guitar, you won’t hear from me for weeks."
5. Marriage
Wilkinson married his girlfriend of eight years, scaffolding company heiress Shelley Jenkins, in a private ceremony at the town hall of the French resort of Bandol. Only two guests, one of them Wilkinson's mother, were present at the ceremony officiated by Bandol mayor Christian Palix, who said that "both [are] viewed with great respect" in the community.
The couple met 15 years ago while she was working as a cocktail waitress in the Majorcan resort of Magaluf.
6. Beliefs
Wilkinson followed Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, according to an interview he gave with The Times newspaper in 2009.
Giant Buddha sitting on lotusl. Hong Kong
7. First born
Jonny and Shelley became parents for the first time in late 2018. They keep their private life pretty much on lockdown, but according to reported, they had a little boy called James.
8. Phobias
"Heights. Being stuck in a lift, now we’ve talked about that. And audience participation, the type you get at stage shows. In school, we had three occasions like that and I got selected all three times. I tried different approaches, apart from getting up and running out of the building, and I still got picked every time."
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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