Jonny Wilkinson To Retire at End of Season!

The last of England's World Cup heroes from 2003 will call it quits at the end of this season.

Jonny Wilkinson will finish his illustrious rugby career at the end of the Top 14 season which finishes on the last day of May. Wilkinson will have two more chances to add to his bulging trophy cabinet as his club, Toulon are in the Heineken Cup and Top 14 Finals, taking on Saracens and Castres respectively.

Victory in at least one of them will cap off a career that went on much longer than we expected, considering the multitude of injuries that plagued the early part of the career of the 2nd most prolific points scorer in international rugby history behind Dan Carter.

Wilkinson may not have the talent, flair and all-round abilities of New Zealand's Dan the Man, but he had the intelligence and knowledge to guide the England team at its key playmaker position. He was a demon tackler and of course, it was his ability to kick goals that made him such a match-winner for England early on.

Indeed, it was that drop goal that earned English rugby its proudest moment in its history yet.  

Wilkinson retired from international rugby after the 2011 Rugby World Cup to concentrate on his career with Toulon who he has helped return to glory days - a Heineken Cup win in 2013 and two Top 14 finals.

A model professional, even with the fame after winning the Rugby World Cup, Wilkinson never really flirted with celebrity status as much as his compatriot footballers and gained much respect from the media and peers as a result.

Wilkinson. Another legend of the game.

Jonny Wilkinson Retires from International Rugby

Jonny Wilkinson has pulled the plug on his long and generally highly successful England career.

Wilko made the announcement on his official website: http://www.jonnywilkinson.com/news/my-england-retirement/

Wilkinson earned 91 caps and scored 1,179 points and enjoyed a brief tussle with Dan Carter for the title of international rugby's most prolific points scorer. 3 of those points helped win the 2003 Rugby World Cup for England in most memorable fashion.

Wilkinson travelled to the north-east from his birthplace in Surrey to play much of his club career for the Newcastle Falcons. He spent 12 years there before taking up the big bucks to play for French glamour club, Toulon. Jonny will continue to play for Toulon despite hanging up his boots for his country.

Wilkinson was a very fine fly-half and deserves to be considered in any rugby hall of fame. Yes he wasn't as flashy as Dan Carter but as a pivot and leader of the backline, he was par excellence and led the way with his kicking. He was also the meanest tackler and defender you'd ever see.

Given his long spate of injuries after the 2003 World Cup, it's quite a surprise to see how long Wilkinson's career lasted. Yes, it probably might have gone a bit longer than it should have as evident at the 2011 Rugby World Cup but to be still playing after the serious shoulder injuries Wilkinson suffered after that glorious night in Sydney is quite an achievement in itself.

Jonny will be missed but the time is right. England will be hoping George Ford can now step into Wilkinson's boots to lead the team in white back to the big time.