Wilkinson kicks Campese’s ‘win at all costs’ criticisms into touch

FLY-HALF Jonny Wilkinson has rejected claims from former Australia winger David Campese that England must change their style of play or face World Cup disappointment.

Campese said England's "win at all costs" approach was destroying the game. Wilkinson hit back ahead of tomorrow's one-off Test against Australia in Melbourne, saying results are all important in the professional era.

"Winning is everything," said Wilkinson. "Ideally everyone wants to score tries but that's not what people remember. What I look forward to is finishing ahead of the opposition. If I have to do that by kicking penalties then so be it."

Wilkinson admitted England had been disappointed not to cross the line in their 15-13 victory over the All Blacks last weekend.

"I found it very difficult," he said. "The weather was very unpredictable and that didn't help. We need to be realistic. This is the country that won the World Cup in England and Wales. It was a night of mixed emotion. While it was superb to have beaten the All Blacks, we weren't happy with our performance."

England have not beaten the Wallabies Down Under but they are on the back of a 12-match winning run and have defeated Australia in their past three encounters. Wilkinson, however, knows what the Wallabies are capable of, having tasted defeat with the Lions and been part of the 1998 England side to go down 76-0 in Brisbane.

"We've had some success over Australia recently, so we'll go into the game with confidence. But we need to be realistic. This is the country that won the World Cup in England and Wales. If that's their away form, just imagine what they achieve when they're on home soil."

Former Australia Test star Campese had condemned Clive Woodward's side, claiming their style of play is "very bad for the game".

"It's clear that English rugby hasn't moved on a jot over the past 10 years," he told the BBC. "The game against New Zealand showed all the strengths and all the weakness of the English game. How close did they get to scoring a try? Not once did they look likely to. They are completely reliant on the boot of Jonny Wilkinson even when they get into the opposition 22.

"There was a time when rugby was exciting? Remember that? I know it's a professional sport, but England are happy to win no matter what. I'm not sure they know what scoring a try is any more. It's very bad for the game.

"The reason why a try is worth five points was because the International Rugby Board were hoping that teams would score them. That's not the case with England. And it's a real worry. Rugby needs to entice people in. Here in Australia it has to compete with league and Aussie rules, and the way England play just sends people away in droves."

England have agreed a lucrative new four-and-a-half year deal with Nike as official kit suppliers to the national team. Although the existing sponsorship arrangement does not expire for another six months, Nike have signed until the summer of 2008.

Financial details of the deal have not been revealed, but a seven-figure package seems certain, given England's current status as world rugby's top-ranked country.

London Irish today announced the signing of former England centre Nick Greenstock. The 29-year-old, who was capped four times in 1997, has moved to Irish from Harlequins.