Wilkinson is added to Lions squad for NZ tour

JONNY WILKINSON’S waiting game ended last night when he was added to the Lions squad for this summer’s tour to New Zealand.

Lions boss Sir Clive Woodward has made Wilkinson his 45th player for the three-Test trip, having closely monitored his comeback from a knee injury during the past month.

The England fly-half and captain was omitted from the original Lions squad, but Woodward left the selection door open, subject to form and fitness.

And Wilkinson, who will be 26 on the Lions’ departure date of May 25, responded in typically battling fashion.

It will be Wilkinson’s second Lions trip, after he toured Australia four years ago, and he is now on course for his first Test match start since the 2003 World Cup final.

Welsh star Stephen Jones is currently in pole position for the Lions number 10 shirt, but a fully fit Wilkinson is certain to exert huge pressure on him.

England coach Andy Robinson and goal-kicking guru Dave Alred, both members of the Lions coaching staff, watched Wilkinson play today in Newcastle’s 23-16 Zurich Premiership wildcard semi-final defeat against Gloucester, and barely two hours after that game finished, Woodward made his announcement.

“When we announced the squad, a number of players had to prove their fitness before inclusion in the tour party. This included Jonny,” Woodward said.

“He has come through it with typical determination and I am delighted that he is able to join the tour party when we assemble on May 17.

“I have been monitoring his progress over the past few weeks and have been impressed. He has looked good physically and his appetite for the game has clearly not diminished.

“With the likes of (Ronan) O’Gara, (Stephen) Jones and (Charlie) Hodgson, proven world-class players, and now Wilkinson, we have an incredibly strong group to draw on to face the challenges in New Zealand.”

Wilkinson added: “To be asked to go on a Lions tour is the ultimate honour. It makes me immensely proud to be going on this tour after a tough season, although also a little nervous in anticipation of what will be an incredible tour.”

Wilkinson has won 52 caps for England and kicked 817 points, including the dramatic drop-goal that gave his country World Cup glory in Sydney almost 18 months ago.

But since returning home from the World Cup he has endured an injury nightmare that at one stage even cast a cloud over his career.

Wilkinson was sidelined for eight months immediately following the World Cup campaign due to a serious neck/shoulder problem that required surgery, and his comeback barely lasted two months before he was laid low by biceps trouble.

Wilkinson returned to action again just before Christmas, only to suffer a knee injury during Newcastle’s Heineken Cup defeat against French club Perpignan.

It ruled Wilkinson out of England’s entire RBS 6 Nations Championship campaign, and when he returned to action against Harlequins in mid-March, another knee injury saw him break down after just 35 minutes.

Wilkinson spent a month recovering from the latest setback, but Woodward never lost faith in his World Cup talisman, and outings for Newcastle against Northampton, London Irish and Gloucester proved sufficient.

Newcastle’s loss to Gloucester today means that their season is over, but Wilkinson can now look forward to May 17, when he will meet up with his fellow Lions at their training base in south Wales.

That in itself will represent a mammoth achievement given the trials and tribulations he has faced.

Meanwhile, Woodward has yet to announce a decision regarding centre Mike Tindall and prop Phil Vickery, who were in the same bracket as Wilkinson as possible squad additions.

Tindall has been sidelined with a foot injury while Vickery is nursing a broken arm.