Wilkinson demands more from himself

Only a perfectionist of the calibre of Jonny Wilkinson could land a flawless seven goals from seven attempts against South Africa and then insist his kicking needed more practice.

The England fly-half’s 20-point performance, which included two drop goals, was the difference between the two sides in a compelling Pool C match which Clive Woodward’s men won 25-6 to earn potentially the smoothest of routes through to the final in Sydney next month.

It drew superlatives of “fantastic” from captain Martin Johnson and the man-of-the-match award for Wilkinson who has now kicked 14 goals out of 14 attempts in two matches at the World Cup.

“I’m really pleased that the hard work is paying off,” said Wilkinson, who is renowned for his obsessive approach to kicking practice.

“So far it’s gone well for me. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean the next one is going to go over. But the other side of my kicking game wasn’t as positive so I’ve got mixed feelings. I know exactly what I need to work on and I’m keen to get on with it.”

Wilkinson’s kicking out of hand was compromised by the aggressive defence of the Springboks and the occasional tired service from scrum-half Kyran Bracken, whose sharpness was blunted by his back problems.

“We had to do a lot of defending in that first half and we got very tired,” said Wilkinson.

“But it was a great Test match in every sense of the word because it was a good indicator of where we need to go.

“There are things to work on but when you’re playing a side as good as South Africa you can never be disappointed in winning. We were tested hugely out there and did well to keep them off our line.

“At half-time we had a get-together and then went out there and hit it harder and got a few points on the board. At 6-6 we knew we had to step it up.”

Wilkinson admitted that there were a few harsh words of Anglo-Saxon passed among the England players as they came under increasing pressure from a Springbok pack – the exchanges only motivating South Africa, according to their captain Corne Krige.

“Shouting at each other is not out of the normal,” insisted Wilkinson. “We’re out there making big decisions and have to sort things out quickly on the pitch. If things aren’t going the way you want them to they have to be changed.

“It’s always positive and a good way of getting your point across and the guys do it in the understanding that everything they say is taken in the right way.

“We had to make changes because at times we were putting ourselves under a lot of pressure added to what they were putting us under. It’s not as if I spend all my life shouting my head off though.”

The expletives clearly had their effect, even if Wilkinson appeared the coolest man in the Subiaco Oval as he dropped two goals to break the resistance of the gallant Springboks.

“In a game against South Africa you have to get your points any way you can,” he explained. “Their defence was fantastic and I just felt I had a chance to grab three points. The speed and power of their defence meant keeping the ball was often difficult.

“Thankfully a couple of drop goals went over and six points against South Africa is a real Godsend when they are playing the way they are.

“We’re through two games now. We’ve got a massive one coming up against Samoa and we’re grateful to be in this position. We’ve done some hard work and it’s paid off but we’ve got to continue to improve if we want to go further.”