Toulon president seeks permission to retire jersey in Wilkinson’s honour

By Peter O’ Dwyer

Following the announcement yesterday that Jonny Wilkinson will retire after this weekend’s Heineken Cup final, tributes and offers have understandably been flooding in for the Toulon out-half.

Wilkinson is revered in the rugby-mad southern French city having helped Toulon to the summit of European rugby last season.

Club president and multi-millionaire Mourd Boudjellal, in particular, is a huge fan and has requested that the French authorities grant him permission to retire the club’s 10 jersey as mark of respect.

Boudjellal has asked Ligue Nationale de Rugby to sanction the unusual move as the English out-half prepares for his final couple of game in the colours of his adopted club.

While retiring jerseys in honour of former players is a relatively common practise in other sports like soccer, basketball and American Football where players are assigned squad numbers, it would seem unlikely that it would be allowed in rugby where players wear numbers according to their position.

Boudjellal has also indicated his desire to see Wilkinson become part of the Toulon coaching team once the RWC winner hangs up his boots – a move Wilkinson is understood to be open to.

Toulon may however face competition from the English national team with head coach Stuart Lancaster yesterday admitting Wilkinson could bring valuable experience to his group of players.

While there are no formal plans to add to the English backroom team, the prospect of Wilkinson mentoring some of the younger stars is something Lancaster would not rule out when speaking to media as his side begin preparations for a summer tour of New Zealand.

“What Jonny could offer to young players would be incredible - and senior players, too, for that matter,” said Lancaster, according to the Telegraph.

“The decision will remain with him in the first instance but I wouldn’t rule it [mentoring] out in the long-term. When you have got someone of his calibre and influence, I would certainly want him to feel part of the England team in the broad, global sense. At the right place and time we will invite him into camp.”

Lancaster also paid tribute to the former Newcastle Falcons fly-half, with whom he met shortly after taking the reins of the national side in 2011.

“I can’t think of a player in rugby who has had the same impact as Jonny,” said Lancaster. “His influence on so many others is phenomenal. He not only changed the way the game was played, more importantly he changed the way in which people prepared to play the game.

“He had the full repertoire as a player: an unbelievable kicking game, an outstanding defence, great distribution off either hand but it is the detail off the field that he focused on that set him apart. So many in the game have said to me that they thought they worked hard and prepared well until they met him, He raised the bar to a different level.”

“We had a conversation about international rugby and he made [his views] quite clear and I could understand that,” said Lancaster.

“I had Owen Farrell, as well as Freddie Burns, and 2015 on my mind, and their opportunities might not have come [had Wilkinson carried on playing for England].”