What will that drop goal be worth to Wilkinson?

IT IS not the most glamorous place from which to shape sport's newest global brand, but Jonny Wilkinson's future was being decided yesterday in a small office in Leamington Spa.

By mid- afternoon, Wilkinson's agent, Tim Buttimore, was fielding so many calls - endorsement opportunities, media requests, offers to buy his company - that his mobile battery was going flat. "The response has been phenomenal and very gratifying," says Buttimore.

"But it doesn't change the strategy for Jonny. Playing and training must come first, with commercial activity way behind."

And yet, and yet ... Even before his World Cup-winning performance, his sponsorship deals and commercial endorsements were due to bring him more than £1 million this year, making him by far rugby's most marketable player.

By last Saturday afternoon, England's top sports agents were predicting his clean-cut image could net deals worth at least £5 million.

Suddenly, Buttimore finds himself in the big league - with his small PR and sponsorship agency being eyed up by the giant corporations that dominate sports management.

Up against aggressive deal- makers such as First Artist and Global Sports Management, some are asking whether "team Wilkinson" - Buttimore and Jonny's father, Phil - can capitalise on their star's global appeal. Buttimore says he is in no hurry to maximise his client's earnings "by putting him around like a blue-arsed fly".

But shouldn't they be striking while the iron is hot and making deals that could take Wilkinson into David Beckham's earning league, as Max Clifford suggested over the weekend?

Caroline McAteer, who represents David Beckham in a new sports agency co-founded with Simon Fuller, believes he is right to be cautious.

"Jonny will get bombarded with requests, offers and deals, but it's important he steps back and thinks carefully before committing to anything," she advises.

"What's important is that the sport must come first - any endorsements must be relevant to his image as a sportsman. A lot of people will want him to do cheap and tacky things, but you've got to stick to stuff you believe in."

Unlike Beckham, who earns more than £5 million a year to play for Real Madrid, Wilkinson is paid less than £250,000 by the Newcastle Falcons.

But while Beckham's range of endorsements has helped boost his wealth to an estimated £50 million, Wilkinson has focused on five main deals with Adidas, Mercedes, Cartier, Lucozade and Lloyds TSB worth around £200,000 each.

A column for The Times, and associated television advertising, is said to have paid almost £250,000 (and, says The Times, to have boosted circulation by 10% last week), and there have been other deals, such as with Tetley's beer.

Buttimore will not confirm any figures, but he says he turns down around four-fifths of everything Wilkinson is offered.

One factor is Wilkinson's reluctance to put himself into the limelight. He recently expressed incredulity that Beckham could cope with "everyone scrutinising his lifestyle". Buttimore sees protecting his client's privacy as a major factor in shaping his future commercial exploitation.

Bart Campbell, director of Global Sports Management, which represents half a dozen England rugby players, says Buttimore should form "strategic partnerships" with half a dozen global brands to promote casual clothing, sportwear, boots, cars and watches.

"Pretty much as he's already doing," Campbell says. "The key thing is don't take a quick buck: if Jonny advertises hair loss products now, that will make it hard to secure the more lucrative Coke sponsorship later."

So how much could Wilkinson's image be worth? "The figure of £5million could be right, as Jonny redefined the market last weekend in terms of what rugby players can earn off the field," Campbell says.

"These guys are valuable to sponsors as they're not conducting themselves off the pitch in ways that will tarnish their images, unlike some footballers."

As a former rugby player himself - he played centre for Leicester in the late Eighties - Buttimore, 43, has worked with Wilkinson for more than four years.

His company, Sports Connection Group, also represents Martin Johnson, Neil Back and Ben Kay. He has received takeover offers this week, but says he is not looking to sell.

"We're a small team, but one of our goals for the next year will be to form alliances with overseas companies where we feel a need to market Jonny globally," he says.

"Adidas has started some of this, associating him with Beckham (they recently made an advertisement together). That led to a request from a Spanish beer company to use Jonny in a commercial - but we turned it down."

For the moment, perhaps it will benefit Wilkinson's game to have his interests looked after from Leamington Spa. "Saturday was just a milestone, but it's not the end of the journey," warns Dave Williams, whose small agency, Big Bug Sports, represents England players such as Dan Luger and Ben Cohen.

"The interest will die down, then Jonny's game will be all that matters. The smartest thing I've heard this week came from Jonny's dad. He said: 'Isn't it better to concentrate on being an A-list player than a C-list celebrity?'"