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The ambitions of Jonny Wilkinson
Around the Academy:

A blurred picture of Jonny Wilkinson kicking a penalty
Jonny doing what he does best - kicking points

Jonny Wilkinson

I always wanted to be a goal kicker, but I wanted to do it well, I wanted to do it perfectly, so I kept trying and trying.

I got a lot of help from Dave Aldred, England's specialist goalkicking coach, and since then it has been a big part of my game.

Hopefully that will continue for a long time to come.

Jonny Wilkinson kicks over the drop kick which won England the World Cup
That kick took years of practice

When I first started playing rugby, I played full-back.

But I moved on to fly-half when I was about 10 - and I've been there ever since.

Thankfully, there are no real guidelines as to who plays fly-half, so you make the most of what you've got and build yourself up.

You try to make yourself faster, more powerful, more skilful and try and win the battles you have inside games.

My heroes when I was growing up were Michael Lynagh, Grant Fox and of course, my coach at Newcastle Rob Andrew.


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The eternal kicker
Wilko's legacy

Jonny Wilkinson factfile
Born: 25 May 1979
Birthplace: Frimley, Surrey
Height: 5ft 10in
Position: Fly-half
Club: Newcastle Falcons
Favourite food: Chicken
Favourite music: Indie stuff, especially Coldplay and Oasis
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Hobbies: Cinema, eating out, playing sport, anything to relax
Football team: Newcastle United

Open Quote
Ultimately, if possible, I want to be the best rugby player that's ever played
Close Quote
Jonny Wilkinson
England's World Cup hero




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