Don't get carried away...

The Sunday after England cast aside Scotland at Twickenham saw the English national papers filled with headlines rejoicing in the return of ‘King Jonny’.

But after just two games back in an England shirt can we really start claiming ‘Jonny is back’ and ‘so are England with him in their ranks’?

Let’s not get carried away just yet.

Firstly, credit to Wilkinson for showing such determination to return from his lengthy list of injuries, and credit for taking his chances against Scotland and Italy. However not all is rosy in the England camp.

Wilkinson may have racked up twenty-seven and fifteen points against Scotland and Italy respectively but had he not done so questions would have been raised. After all you would expect your first choice goal-kicker to be able to take the chances presented to him.

In the euphoria of the occasion, namely England actually winning a couple of games, people have failed to see the bigger picture here.

Instead they have opted to focus on Wilkinson and convince themselves that he will be the saviour they have so desperately needed of late.

Lets’ be honest though, and look at the opposition he has faced: Scotland and Italy, hardly the best sides in the world. Scotland were poor at best on their visit to Twickenham and whilst their back-row was prominent in attack they may as well have been in the stands in defence.

Wilkinson had an armchair ride in his first England game in almost four years, so no wonder he was saying “it was a dream return”. The only time Kelly Brown laid a hand on Wilkinson was when he shook hands with him in the tunnel afterwards.

Then there was the visit of the Italians to HQ and England started to stutter, not just because of the huge Italian forward effort but because Jonny started to feel the pressure. Sergio Parisse, Maurizio Zaffiri and Josh Sole hounded Wilkinson from the off, and he looked half the player from the Scotland game because of it.

So what have we learnt from these two games regarding the return of Wilkinson? Firstly he is not the same player as he once was, he looks a yard off the pace and does not carry the same menace in defence he once possessed. In years gone by you would see at least one big hit a game from Jonny. Yet there was not a sign of that in the last two weeks.

Then there is his kicking from hand, which has been mixed. Against Scotland he kicked well and gave England good field position, but with the time Kelly Brown and co. afforded him even a retired Paul Grayson would have found time to nudge England down field.

However against Italy his kicking was poor, a result of the pressure put on him. Too often he kicked straight down the throats of the Italian back three, something he can ill afford to do against sides such as Ireland and France.

So lets not get carried away with Jonny’s return just yet, as the real tests are yet to come. Ireland and France will, without doubt, pressure Wilkinson in a manner Scotland and Italy were just not capable of.

If, and that is a very big ‘if’, Wilkinson comes through those games bathed in glory, then we can say the old Jonny is back, but until then it is best to reserve judgment.

By Loosehead Les