Wilkinson resumes his relentless quest

Given the relationship between Sir Clive Woodward and Jonny Wilkinson, the suspicion is that the world's most celebrated No 10 would have travelled to New Zealand come hell or high water. How could the Lions take on the All Blacks without the player whose drop goal won the World Cup for England and a knighthood for the coach?

Given the relationship between Sir Clive Woodward and Jonny Wilkinson, the suspicion is that the world's most celebrated No 10 would have travelled to New Zealand come hell or high water. How could the Lions take on the All Blacks without the player whose drop goal won the World Cup for England and a knighthood for the coach?

Easily, according to Sir Clive, who maintains that had Wilkinson not performed to the highest standards for Newcastle in a club match a couple of weeks ago he would have been playing for the Churchill Cup with a shadow England squad in Canada rather than competing in the war of the worlds.

The appearance on the international scene of Jonny come lately after 18 months as a most unsuitable case for treatment may seem a touch unfair on the other stand-offs, Stephen Jones, Ronan O'Gara and Charlie Hodgson, but nobody is complaining. The Lions would not have looked right without him. Even the All Blacks are glad he has packed up his troubles in his old kit bag.

Tomorrow evening Michael Owen captains the Lions against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with Wilkinson as vice-captain. "It's important for him to get another full game before we leave,'' Woodward said, "and he was very, very keen to play. The tour is under way and this is a big, big night for the whole squad. Jonny's not been singled out for special treatment. He's fully fit and he's in on merit. He's a team man.''

If anything that's an understatement. Wilkinson is arguably the most single-minded player in the game, and his individual exploits have made him the nearest thing to a David Beckham rugby has ever seen. It is a superficial comparison. Wilkinson is a squaddie through and through and is also probably unique. Faced with the injuries, operations and setbacks he has endured since the World Cup, most players would have called it a day. It is a minor miracle that he has made it to the Lions headquarters at the Vale of Glamorgan. We thought we had heard everything we needed to know, but then last week he came over like the product of an act of union between Thomas à Becket and Mother Theresa.

"I'm very proud and honoured to be part of such a fantastic team,'' he said. "I have been out of international rugby for so long I haven't been able to perform on the field. I hate the feeling of not having earned the respect of the players around me. I found it difficult to see how I was going to earn a place. After my second knee injury there was light at the end of the tunnel, but it wasn't very bright. I'm very grateful and lucky to be here.''

Coming from anybody else it would not have meant as much. It was as if Wilkinson was wearing a hair shirt instead of a Lions top, and it was all delivered in a choirboy's sotto voce. Wilkinson has made millions, but it could have been a lot more; he won't endorse products, like fast foods and fizzy drinks, that he doesn't approve of.

Is this goody two-boots for real? Afraid so. "To be honest I've no idea what my best is. I'm struggling for something and I don't know what it is. I suspect my best is very different from my best of a year-and-a-half ago. The things I ask of myself now are not those I asked during the World Cup.''

What will be unveiled tomorrow is Wilkinson Mark II. Every kick, every pass, and particularly every tackle will be scrutinised as never before. The great fear is that he will go down and won't get back up. All his comebacks have ended with him being carried from the field, a damaged limb encased in ice, his face a mixture of bewilderment and agony. Most people took the view that he was finished and if he wasn't he should be, because otherwise he would end up in his mid-twenties with a walking stick or worse. Of course Woodward has taken a gamble, but he was left with no choice.

Wilkinson has been working his socks off, improving his footwork, picking up ideas from rugby league and changing the famous posture for his goal-kicking. On form the Lions Test half-backs should be the Wales pair, Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel, but if the new model Wilkinson passes his road test the Lions will move up a gear.

"I quite like the situation I've been put in," he said. "I'd rather be fighting for something than presuming it and I'd rather be backed into a corner than be allowed to rest on my laurels. The match against Argentina will be intense but I'm not worried about injuries. I've moved on from there. The pressure is on the No 10 every game we play, and that applies to the other guys. It's up to me to play well but there's also a collective responsibility, and the biggest thing is to win. It moves everything on. I didn't have a clue what the team would be; once I knew I was in the side I could start to prepare mentally. Before-hand it's a nerve-racking experience.''

Wilkinson may be the most apologetic gate-crasher to the party, but once in he takes comfort from an environment that he enjoyed with the Lions in Australia in 2001. "This is like the start of a new season, and not just for me. Everyone will be playing together for the first time and all of us have a chance to pitch in. The Lions have created a level playing field. We're learning together.''

Funnily enough, here's Jonny who can't wait to begin repaying his dues while others have been ruled out because of injuries or unavailability. Yesterday the Lions attended the FA Cup final - they were sharing their hotel with Manchester United - but Wilkinson's thoughts are confined to one goal: beating the Pumas. "It will be interesting to see how I react to the pressure of a Lions home match. In rugby, as in life, nothing's for free and I haven't earned a great deal. It's been a long wait and I can't think of any better place to be than the Millennium Stadium.'' Steady on. Is he forgetting Twickenham?

"Jonny will be fine,'' Dave Alred, the Lions kicking coach, said. "He's ready for this. In fact he's bouncing off the walls.''