Woodward: Wilkinson key to England success

England’s hopes of a second successive World Cup victory lie squarely on the shoulders of Jonny Wilkinson, according to Clive Woodward.

The man who led England to the World Cup four years ago believes the fly-half’s presence has as much of a negative effect on the opposition as it has a positive impact on his team-mates.

“Jonny is the difference for England, let’s make no bones about it,” Woodward told BBC Radio Five Live.

“There’s no doubt Australia and France were almost in awe of him – he’s that big a personality on the field.

“You can’t see England winning without him in that position – he’s that important to the whole team.”

The drop-goal hero of the 2003 final, Wilkinson missed England’s first two matches of the current World Cup through injury and watched his team-mates stutter to a turgid victory over the USA before being whitewashed by Saturday’s opponents, South Africa.

Despite the 28-year-old being far from his best since returning against Samoa, England have won every game since, with Wilkinson almost invariably the match-winner.

“As the clock ticks down, if England are in sight of the scoreline with 10 or 15 minutes to go, the more he comes into play,” Woodward added.

“When teams fade in the last 10 minutes, he has taken the game by the scruff of the neck and delivered. He is an iconic figure and Brian Ashton is lucky to have him playing.

“England have not played the prettiest rugby but it’s just so effective and you wouldn’t want to play against that team at the moment.

“There is a real momentum there and a fantastic team spirit and attitude. In team sports, that can take you a long way.”

Despite the startling resurgence of Ashton’s men in the last few weeks, Woodward insists the poor preparation that led to them being written off cannot be repeated.

“We arrived at the tournament in poor shape compared to 2003 and whatever happens on Saturday, I hope England’s preparation over the next four years is far, far better than the last four years,” he added.

“It’s not fair on the players because as an England player you may only get one chance at winning a World Cup and you want your union and your coach to deliver the best possible programme that gives you every chance of winning.”