Jonny Wilkinson humbly accepted knighthood - didn't get knighthood
Rugby NewsMonday, 15 June 2026 at 08:13
a legend—and we’re pretty sure he’s okay with that.
England legend Jonny Wilkinson looked destined for one final honour after bringing the curtain down on his glittering rugby career in 2014.
Having won the Rugby World Cup with England, conquered Europe and France with Toulon, and established himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats, many expected a knighthood to follow in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
But in a rare misstep from rugby’s ultimate perfectionist, Wilkinson appeared to jump the gun. The former fly-half posted what many interpreted as the beginnings of a humble acceptance message on social media, seemingly confirming reports that a knighthood was on the way.
There was just one problem — the honour never arrived.
The now-deleted post quickly sparked speculation before Wilkinson moved to clarify the situation, deleting the message and later congratulating those who had made the list. In typically classy fashion, the World Cup hero took the embarrassment in his stride, proving that even one of rugby’s most meticulous figures can occasionally get caught out.
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Wilkinson, who famously kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003 and tackled like a human wrecking ball, remains one of the game’s most admired figures. If anyone deserves a “Sir” before their name, it’s probably him.
For now though, Jonny remains just
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.
RICHIE MCCAW DREAM TEAM:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Christian Cullen (New Zeland)
- 14. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
- 11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
McCawon Lomu: “When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once.
"He is one of the absolute superstars of rugby. If you go to somewhere where rugby is perhaps not well known then the one guy they do know is Jonah. It's really sad that he's passed away at age 40. He was a legend of the All Blacks and a legend of rugby."
CENTRES:
- 13. Ma'a Nonu (New Zealand)
- 12. Jonny Wilkinson (England)
McCaw on Wilkinson: "He'll go down as one of the greats of world rugby."
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
- 9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
McCaw on Carter: "There are a lot of good players but the guys who did it for a long time and that I've been lucky to play with is Dan Carter. In the final, he was sensational and he's been great for a long time. So to be able to play with him for the years I've been playing was pretty cool."
FRONT-ROW:
- 1. Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)
- 2. Dane Coles (New Zealand)
- 3. Olo Brown (New Zealand)
McCaw on Woodcock: "If you're looking for a night out, stay away from Tony Woodcock or go and see Tony Woodcock. He's been on the same team as me since I was 18, we played in age grade together."
SECOND-ROW:
- 4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
- 5. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
BACK-ROW:
- 6. Richard Hill (England)
- 7. Schalk Burger (South Africa)
- 8. George Smith (Australia)
McCaw on Hill: “Extremely gifted player who had all the ability in the world. When England needed someone to dig in he was your man. He had the full tool bag and quietly got on with it.”
McCaw on Smith: Speaking in a Q+A with World Rugby, McCaw's revealed former Wallabies flanker George Smith as the one he feared most on the field, saying Smith "was always pretty tough".
“I remember playing him when I was in the under 19s against Australia and remember then thinking just what a good player he is.”
McCaw on Burger: "You can come up against another tough team but never feel like you have had a tough match against your opposite. But with Burger you knew where they are going to be and how hard they play near the ball."
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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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