Jonny Wilkinson | Will Greenwood & Brian O'Driscoll on his genius

World Cup winner Will Greenwood joined Brian O'Driscoll, Andy Friend and Tiernan O'Halloran on the genius of Jonny Wikinson.
Exceptional stories about his dedication before and during a World Cup final, exercising in a suit and being 'the most exceptional human being ever'.
Will was with us at our Heineken Rugby Club Roadshow at the Galmont Hotel, sponsored by Heineken Ireland.

[@OffTheBall]

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[@stevelee4952]

Quite simply the best number 10 of the modern era. And I am not English, just a life long rugby fan.

[@edmondsfamily9577]

I’m no English supporter as well. All blacks til I die but I agree with you. His defence was next level.

[@nowttodowithme]

Insane hearing BOD - who was world class himself - basically say Wilkinson sees the game on a whole different level.

[@fiachracotter7528]

@P S Irish is not British

[@mcn6447]

True. What a clip

[@LeMerch]

BOD was my favorite Irish player and I think Wilko my favorite British player of all time.

[@robertpirsig5011]

Always liked Greenwood. Great player and a top man all round.

[@hayden9944]

I love both these guys! And Wilco too obviously

[@localmo88]

Wilkinson defined his era. Hi from NZ!

[@timothyalexander5343]

I’m so happy Johnny played in my lifetime, truly an exceptional player, best of all time in my opinion.

[@martincox7354]

Class, class men and rugby players. Greenwood came to our club. He was perfect with all the youngsters and spent much longer than he actually had with them. The smiles and awe in the faces of the youngsters was wonderful to see

[@mark.e.p]

Simply put Jonny was a complete all rounder an utter sportsman.

[@skparkes1969]

Wilkinson can look back on his career and know that he managed to wring every ounce of talent out of his mind and body. He may have regrets about his intensity and perhaps he will look back and wish he had enjoyed it more but he will never have to look back and say ‘if only I had worked harder’. It was also amazing to see the impact he had on world class players at Toulon. Players who had been at the top in international rugby who said they only found out what hard work was when they got to Toulon and worked with Wilkinson. At Toulon, especially, we saw the best of Wilkinson as a leader. He was the spirit and driving force of that team.

[@davidkavanagh9551]

Isn't it fantastic to see professionals speaking about a team mate and a rival sports man having so much respect for him. Brian odriscoll was one of the greatest players of all time in my book

[@ThePrefabsuperstar]

BOD and Wilkinson without doubt the two best players I ever saw from these two Islands. Not only great, humble too.

[@twmlloyd3600]

Wilkinson was a class act ,that’s coming from a welsh man , Greenwood wasn’t too bad either

[@paulowen1085]

Twm Lloyd agree coming from another Welshman. Let's not forget Martin Johnson too

[@gjh997]

I remember an interview with him when England were smashing us (Wales) every game. He could have acted arrogantly or dismissed the threat but he predicted the talent coming through welsh ranks and said you watch them over the next 5-10 years. He was right

[@TheMikethoth]

100% agree. I was always jealous watching him play again Wales, would love to have him playing for a Wales.. No one ever spoke a bad word of him, a gent. Not quite at the Dan Carter level, different players but I think he is a great of world rugby.

[@tonyk3566]

@@gjh997 and ops

[@kaibotha8995]

The greatest 10 of all time

[@LaPtiteAnglaise]

Love this tribute from 2 brilliant brilliant players and people. Wilkinson was utter class and a really special human.

[@nev7711]

Lovely to see BOD talking about Wilkinson with respect and admiration. I guess that the respect would be reciprocated by Wilkinson as O'Driscoll was a great player and leader

[@fredbeach2085]

Jonny probably made more tackles over his career than the points he scored which for a No10, indeed the perfect 10, says a lot about the guy.

[@markhooren5530]

Great comments from Brian and Will about what Jonny was like when was still playing and despite all those games he missed due to injury he still managed to play 91 times for England.

[@yoe91]

The thing also about Wilkinson's greatness is a lot of players can be very good in their own familiar environment where they perfect their craft, their own little personal routine, but he challenged himself and went to Toulon with a totally different set of players, coaches etc... and was still great and won titles.

[@moegreene1823]

The one thing that stuck out for me in that 2003 final was this: "MORTLOOOOCK!... Wilkinson...", over and over again. It seemed that every time Mortlock would hit the line with a head of steam, where he was just about to break through, there'd be Wilko stopping that big train dead in it's tracks.

[@Hammersgary]

The word legend was invented for Jonny Wilkinson

[@laurentmeunier3244]

I’am french, Johnny un champion très humain. Le meilleur, je le connaît mieux grâce à Toulon.

[@robertcottam8824]

In return, Johnny was at his happiest - and best - playing for Toulon. They deserved each other and the phenomenal success that they had. As a Francophile, this made me very happy. Best wishes

[@laurentmeunier3244]

Robert: and he was very humain.

[@robertcottam8824]

@@laurentmeunier3244 C'est juste. Il est un 'gentleman'.

[@jamesgunn6233]

Jonny Wilkinson transformed all the players around him wherever he played. Someone told me that England were 20 points better with him. 20 seemed a lot, but 10 wouldn't seem unreasonable!

[@MrSRA13]

2007 world Cup is a prime example of that. South Africa 36-0 England...Jonny returns. England reach final. South Africa 15-6 England. And England had that try disallowed

[@KryptonitetoallBS]

Some people have very complicated wiring and Wilkinson is one of them. As O'Driscoll says Wilkinson cannot explain things succinctly therefore he doesn't lend himself to being a good pundit. Where most could get their point across in 100 words Jonny needs 300. Great player though and very brave for a wee guy!!

[@agr7879]

Agree. Respect him so much for what he achieved as a player and his commitment, but his punditry is dreadful.

[@MrSRA13]

I love his punditry personally but can see why others wouldn't. He's got so much insight and passion

[@paulduckett2047]

Without all the injuries no one would be anywhere near Wilkinson points wise.

[@thomaspollock5709]

He was a great player quite

[@charlieprior-mills7562]

Imagine being Will Greenwood on a Lions Tour. You get an outside shot in 97, can’t get near the test team but it’s fine because you’re coming into your prime. Over the next four years you become one of the best 13s in the world, shoe in for the 01 test jersey, only for some mug called O’Driscoll to come out of nowhere to become the greatest 13 of all time. You’d be gutted 😂

[@lukesenior4702]

Didn’t Greenwood get injured on the 01 tour? You’d have played him as the #12 ahead of Henderson, who was bang average.

[@gwh3013]

Greenwood wore 13, but played 12 for England.

[@blackbob3358]

you always get one. grow up, knobhead.

[@charlieprior-mills7562]

Luke Senior Fair shout!

[@charlieprior-mills7562]

black bob What’s up boo?

[@nicholascannon5001]

You keep missing the point which is he was head and shoulders above his team mates in what ever team, weather it was a poor Newcastle team an average England team or as you say a team of super stars .

[@Driver2616]

Wilkinson probably is the best 10 that played the game.

[@DBOY738]

Driver2616 Dan Carter *

[@charlespc8855]

@@chichim2020 well Farrell international career success is mostly been as a 12. Wilkinson had the 10 jersey throughout his unchallenged.

[@charlespc8855]

@@chichim2020 Faz at despite despite England winning more games with Ford at 10 than Faz. If Faz was a better 10 than Ford he'd be starting at 10. Wilko was the same weight as Catt who successfully played 12 and I'm sure he's heavier than Giteau who also played 12.

[@tommilne3049]

Dan Carter was very well protected in New Zealand at club level. Wilko would player very game at Club and international. DC would only play international, not his fault but was told what games he could play

[@glenbruce6836]

Injured constantly because he carried Newcastle for years. That's no disrespect to the players we had, but more a reflection on what Johnny thought his role was

[@pault1964]

Should have got a knighthood

[@BrianBadonde299]

Especially when alistair cook has one

[@oxheadsoup9851]

I suspect he would refuse it if it was ever offered - such a humble, self-effacing man.

[@robertcottam8824]

I've no way of knowing this but I rather suspect he may have turned one down and then - being a really decent guy - kept very quiet about it. What do you reckon? Best wishes, by the way

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Jonny is the Neil Armstrong of rugby

[@antonbracken5951]

No No No not a DRUG cheat!

[@funandjames]

@@antonbracken5951 Neil Armstrong, as in the first man on the moon, not Lance Armstrong the drug cheat...

[@markg9653]

Where do you go in Vegas?? Where’s that quote from?

[@tazwildcat7]

My best friend would have been Johnny wilkenson goon and humble prima Donna. Should make Johnny next James bond.

[@cliveuuking4602]

Just individuals in Rugby Union now coming up to the standards demanded of other professional sportsman in other sports in order to get to the top.

[@stevelee4952]

If there is a god, his name is j wilkinson.❤

[@thomaspollock5709]

I don't like arragant England 🏉 rugby but he was a clean quite player and I'm Irish yes he was liked here

[@robertcottam8824]

I don't think it's our players that are the problem. But the RFU and the English press don't half role me up - and I'm (northern) English.

[@duffymoony]

Shaggy, kin geez!

[@cliveuuking4602]

May be Unique to rugby. But not Unique to other sports / areas of excellence, where if you don't apply that level of dedication, you don't get to the top.

[@adamgrimsley2900]

I kinda think Johnny Wilkinson is the Daniel Day Lewis of rugby.

[@garethboyd8580]

I don’t know mate. Richie was a far better actor. At least until the whistle blew ;)

[@vicentesalvador4406]

imagine that O 'driscoll is born English and plays with the same English team that dominated the world in 2003 O' Driscoll, Greenwood, Vickery, Robinson, Wilkinson, etc....

[@jamestaylor841]

Probably achieves the same things. Maybe is more competitive the following 4 years in 6 nations but France still dominate. We may have won 2007 world cup final. But a think teams would have been more wary if we had BOD in our backline so may not of made the final.

[@russelldiedrichs2041]

;)

[@strawberrykicker2]

Wilkinson might be the most overrated player of the professional era

[@fraz6354]

Yeah whatever mate. He was key to England winning the world cup, and 4 years later he was the main man who dragged a much lesser England team back to the World Cup Final.

[@strawberrykicker2]

@@fraz6354 have a point about 2007 in fairness but England were so dominant in the forwards in 2003 that whoever was at 10 would have looked like a king. He was a brilliant goalkicker but overall as a 10 he's massively overrated, Catt, Grayson and Hodgson were all much all round players, Farrell is close to matching his goalkicking these days too. He was a very good player, no arguments there, but he's hyped up to be on the same level as carter but DC was better than him at pretty much every facet of the game

[@stevie150365]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@nomore5668]

I love when people such as yourself make such a claim but can never qualify it.

[@strawberrykicker2]

@@nomore5668 7 tries in internationals, shows how average his attacking play was. o gara (who would apparently didnt offer an attacking threat) had 16 and was joint top try scorer in th 07 six nations. sexton currently has 14. gregor townsend had 17. obviously tries scored doesnt always show the whole picture but still its telling. all 3 that i mentioned were/are much better passers and o gara in his prime was a much better game-manager. again, im not saying wilkinson wasnt a great player, in 2002 especially he was brilliant, but he wasnt all he was made out to be. fine, he kicked the drop goal in the rwc final (right-legged for no apparent reason), but he missed four other attempts (plus the conversion) and some of those gave up try-scoring opportunities. this selfish play and the jon callard/dave alred thing in 2007 made it seem like he was above the rest of the team and to me makes him overrated