It is no surprise that the majority of the headlines today read;
"The Wilkinson Masterclass", "The One Man Points Machine",
"Jonny Wilkinson, the Master". These are all valid and true
headlines... and I will come onto the majestic man in a moment but first what
must be said is that the rest of the Toulon squad cannot be forgotten. Jonny is
without a doubt the best Fly Half in Europe, Warren I hope you are reading this
(!), however even he needs to have a solid platform to be brilliant from which
his fellow team mates provided on Sunday afternoon. Whilst enjoying a pre-game lunch and glass or two of champagne in the Marriott I overhead many Saracens fans reading through their programmes muttering... “Past it”, “Over the hill”, “Isn't he like a million years old?” I firmly believe that this was just their way of coping with the team sheet that they were facing, a who's who of rugby including Giteau, Shaw, Sheridan, Fernández Lobbe and Botha... to name but a few.
Anticipation and expectation built and built, especially after the rousing encounter in Montpellier the day before where Munster came so close to upsetting the Clermont party. When Alain Rolland blew his whistle for the first time at 3pm we were all set for tries galore, big hits and a nail biter. Instead we heard more of Alain Rolland’s whistle than anything else in the first half… in fact I rephrase that we heard more of Alain Rolland’s whistle than we would like throughout!
The game itself will not win records for the most exciting game of rugby Twickenham has ever witnessed... some may say that it would actually win an award for the dullest. 2 line breaks a piece in the whole game and all of the points from the boot; Farrell 4 penalities, Wilkinson 7 penalties and one drop goal. It doesn't make great reading… however what you have to remember is this was knock out rugby, a Heineken Cup Semi Final... therefore winning is all that counts no matter how you do it.
For Saracens it wasn't all about Farrell despite the pre and post-game
media focus on him there were 14 others on the pitch, sadly it appeared all 14
were riddled with nerves and unable to front up to the Toulon galaticos. The
game was full of nervy handling errors, easy penalties and things just not
quite coming off for Saracens. I'd say that some of the better chances were from
Sarries... but unless you can finish these off the final result will never go
your way. Ashton looked on better form but certainly not Lions esque... whether
he is Argentina bound only time will tell. Kelly Brown showed his determination
and was a work horse putting in a big shift and leading from the front. Brad
Barritt limped off, hopefully not with anything serious and Alex Goode was
uncharacteristically jittery at the back.
Toulon put their heart and soul into the match desperate to prove
that they are not mercenaries and money grabbing old boys. The collective years
of experience and the hunger for future glory was tangible and with a place now secured in the Heineken
Cup Final surely some of this mocking has to cease?
So in a 'dull' game there must have been a defining moment/s…
coming through a 10 minute sin bin 3-3 was huge for Toulon but the ultimate
defining moment was one drop goal from the master himself 6 minutes from
time... this was the killer blow taking Toulon more than one score clear.
The drop goal itself wasn’t a jaw dropping 45m strike from a
horrendous angle… it was a quick one aimed to break Saracens hold on the game. More
mesmerizing than the strike was the reaction of both Jonny and Owen Farrell. Farrell
launched himself at Wilko taking him down to the floor where they both remained
to watch the ball fly through the posts and Saracens fate be sealed. Some
players at this point may have chosen to have a little dig or comment to their
opposing player but not Mr Wilkinson. Instead he patted Owen on the back in sympathy,
it was a truly touching gesture and one that showed just how great that man
Jonny Wilkinson is.
After that moment the rest of the game was a formality for Toulon
to close out... Sarries made a few meters here and there however the Toulon 15 were
never going to give up something that clearly means so much to them. Some of
the squad may be old, some may have been around the block once or twice but one
thing is for sure, every single one has a desire and hunger to play out of
their skin for their team-mates and win together.
I can’t sign off without giving my perspective on the question of
the day… “Will Jonny Wilkinson be a Lion?” Warren Gatland has been quite
outspoken throughout his tenure to date as Lions Coach regarding the eligibility
of French players, he has been clear that if the French players are unavailable
to make his camp then they cannot be in contention for a place on his tour.
Reading that without the detail you could say fair enough, rules cannot be wavered
for some of the squad and not others that doesn’t send out the right message
does it? However then you look at the facts, the best fly half in Europe by a
country mile is Jonny Wilkinson, he is the ultimate professional, a player who
gives his heart and soul and then some more every single moment he is playing
or preparing to play rugby however he happens to play for Toulon. 10 years on
from that day in the Telstra Dome he remains the one player that the Australian’s
fear… he is fit, he is healthy and he is still in the form of his life… so why
an earth wouldn’t you pick him!? From where I am sitting the decision is simple…
winning the Lions tour is the objective therefore you have to take your
strongest 38 men regardless of ‘availability issues’… he would be the first
name on my team sheet. In less than 24
hours we will find out Mr Gatland’s perspective on this, and like everyone else
in the rugby world I cannot wait to know what he will say!
