Firstly I am sorry for deserting this place. It has not been by choice. But I am back , well sort of. I can access internet at my boyfriends house, so I’ll most likely be on 1-2 times a week until ours is sorted. I feel bad for missing out on updates especially in the 6 nations. But hopefully everything will be sorted soon.

Finally I just wanted to say a uber, massive thank you to Sonja for keeping this place going. I am sending you a biiiig virtual hug. Without you this place would be dead so thank you!

Hopefully talk to you guys soon and actually update on news myself lol.

Sara xx

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is determined to erase the memory of his last visit to Murrayfield when he lines up against Scotland this weekend.

Wilkinson insists England’s 15-9 defeat two years ago was one of the most painful experiences of his rugby career. The No.10 broke the world record for international points on that filthy afternoon in Edinburgh but he was hauled off before the end before being dropped for only the second time in his international career in favour of Danny Cipriani. But, two years on, Wilkinson is convinced he is a stronger player for the setback.

“The most painful lessons are often the most powerful and for me that is definitely the case,” said Wilkinson. “That was a big experience and it has done the world of good for me.

“I have spent much of the time since then injured on the sidelines but that doesn’t change the fact that you have to take heed of those lessons. The game a couple of years ago was a massive learning curve and it taught us that you need to go out there to play.

“You can’t expect to just build a game solely from what you have planned on paper. We tried that against Scotland with the conditions and the weather and they did a great job of smothering us.

“We didn’t push the situation hard enough to earn the right to win that game. We played a game that was stifled and we ended up losing the game and quite rightly so. I have learned it is all very well to know it on paper but I have got to put it into practice on the field.”

Wilkinson has been singled out for criticism in this year’s Six Nations with many laying the blame for a mis-firing back division at his feet. He does not dismiss the criticism out of hand – “they must see it to say it, or have a reason for saying it” – but he is confident the pivotal midfield relationship with Riki Flutey is developing well.

“One of the big things for us is communicating what we see of the whole field. We missed some chances against Ireland, which we didn’t realise until we watched the video,” said Wilkinson. “The structure is still a bit new to myself as well and maybe I am a bit tied in to seeing what I am doing and likewise for him so we are trying to make sure we see more of the field. But he knows what I am looking for now and I am trying to understand every day what he is looking for. We have had a couple of good chats this week.”

Just as was the case two years ago, England travel to Murrayfield with their Six Nations title hopes still alive to face a Scotland team on the back of three straight defeats. The one big difference is the two teams are under new management, with former England coach Andy Robinson now in charge of Scotland while Martin Johnson has taken charge at Twickenham.

Wilkinson knows just what to expect from a Scotland side coached by Robinson, and it is not all fire and brimstone. “He played the way he coaches. There is no facade,” said Wilkinson. “He was physical, he was intense, he was skilful and he mixed it every time he went out there. As a coach he does exactly the same thing but this time he is able to really impart a huge amount of that rugby brain and experience over many years and that is why he is a good man for the job. We need to go in with a level of inner strength that is capable of dealing with everything on the field – and off the field.”

ESPN

Jonny Wilkinson told skysports.com that England’s ongoing RBS Six Nations campaign has provided a vital learning curve for the team.

England, who won their opening two games of the tournament but fell to a 20-16 defeat against Ireland in their last match, have come under fire for their overall performance in the competition.

However, fly-half Wilkinson, who will line up in Martin Johnson’s starting XV for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland on Saturday, insists England’s triumphs outweigh their disappointment.

Struggle

“I’d struggle to remember a Six Nations where you wouldn’t have those two sides of things,” Wilkinson told skysports.com.

“Ultimately the ratio might have been slightly different in some years, and that’s higher and lower.

“I think for me there’s been an enormous amount of good stuff.”

Wilkinson, who himself has attracted criticism for uninspiring displays in the tournament so far, is adamant England are developing well as a team.

“I’ve really enjoyed so far the way the guys have come together as a team,” he added.

“I think that does mean huge inspiration going forward and I think what’s been great as well has been the learning curve.

“The development individually and as a team has been great to be a part of and so beneficial day to day, but also week to week, and I’m massively pleased with that.”

Improvement
Wilkinson, who is set to earn his 77th cap for England at Murrayfield, says on a personal note, self-improvement is as important as chasing victories.

“I’m in a stage of my career where more than ever I’m looking for development, I’m looking to get better, I’m not looking to come out of this and say, ‘Let’s clock up some wins’, although that’s exactly what you want,” said Wilkinson.

“I’m looking to come out of this and say ‘Yes, we want to win everything’ but at the same time I want to come out a better player and day to day I feel like I’m a better player for being here.”

Sky Sports

Bagshot, England – Jonny Wilkinson has warned England to beware the Andy Robinson effect in Saturday’s Six Nations match against Scotland at Murrayfield.

Robinson was England coach from 2004 to 2006, before he was sacked, but took over a similar post with Scotland in June last year.

Although Scotland are winless in this year’s Six Nations, Wilkinson believes Robinson brings all the qualities to his coaching he did as an abrasive flanker for Bath and England.

“He hits a great balance,” Wilkinson told reporters at England’s training base here on Tuesday after manager Martin Johnson unveiled his side for this weekend’s Calcutta Cup clash.

“The balance is you have a huge amount of respect for what he did on the field when he played and the way he coaches,” the fly-half, rugby union’s world record international points scorer, added.

“There is no facade about it. He doesn’t say ‘Now I am a coach I am going to speak about things I didn’t do’. He doesn’t ask people to do things he didn’t commit to as a player.

“He was physical, skilful as a player and he did that every time he went out there. As a coach he does exactly the same thing – he is able to impart a huge amount of that experience and that he is why he is a good man for that job.”

Robinson made Wilkinson his first England captain, back in 2004, but that appointment was derailed by the stand-off’s brutal run of injuries.

In fact the 30-year-old did not appear once in Robinson’s reign as England coach, but knows him well from his spell as assistant to Clive Woodward in the years leading up to the Red Rose’s 2003 World Cup final win over Australia.

“I am a big fan of Andy Robinson’s,” Wilkinson added. “I had great experiences under him. He creates enormous energy, he brings confidence, he brings trust from the players and he brings physicality mixed in with detail.”

Scotland may be bottom of the Six Nations table but they were minutes away from victory against Wales before losing 31-24 in Cardiff and were only beaten 16-12 by Italy in Rome last time out.

“We can’t just stick our head down and bash it against a wall to prepare for this game,” Wilkinson insisted.

“They (Scotland) have had a great kicking game, great set plays and individual brilliance. They may not have been on the right end of the results but they have been close in every one. A couple of bounces of the ball and we would be talking about something different.”

England, who go into the latest edition of rugby union’s oldest international fixture on the back of a 20-16 loss at home to Ireland, have not won at Murrayfield since 2004.

Two years ago they were undone in a grim battle in the rain, losing 15-9 at Scotland’s headquarters when they could not vary their tactical plan.

And Wilkinson knows they must heed the lessons of that day or face an unwanted hat-trick of defeats in Edinburgh.

“The game a couple of years ago was a massive learning curve,” he said.

“You can’t expect to build a game just what you plan on paper.

“We tried that against Scotland, thinking ‘We’ll do this, we’ll do this,’ but they did a great job smothering us.

“Their defence is very strong, their commitment at the breakdown is enormous and we didn’t push the situation hard enough to win that game.

“We need to ensure we get what we want into play. We didn’t that time and we ended up losing the game – and quite rightly so.” -

Independent Online

I was once told that the best way to write a newspaper column was to open with something exciting, an introduction to catch the attention, then set up the rest of the piece before building towards a strong finish. The way to structure a great game of rugby is, I suppose, not too dissimilar.

The opening to our international on Saturday was indeed interesting enough for me as I got stuck in the wet and softer ground trying to dig out my ill-chosen short kick-off attempt.

The middle part of the game and, effectively, the real content of the piece, was an up-and-down affair for us. We did spend much of the 80 minutes trailing on the scoreboard, but it felt great to be out there. Not once did any one of us, I’m sure, at any time lose the slightest confidence that we would win the game in the end.

As a squad we have really pulled together. Whether it is during training, matches or even well and truly off the field, there is a buzz about what we are trying to accomplish and how we are going about doing it.

The secret to success in team sport lies in the foundation of trust and respect each member has for one another. This then becomes the springboard for launching game plans, tactics and moments of individual brilliance. There must even be a little room left for the bounce of a ball and a decision or two.

Rugby, for me, has always been the ultimate team sport. It is undoubtedly a fairly brutal one at times and there is never anywhere to hide.

As a child growing up, the lessons I learnt week in and week out playing junior rugby gave me a simple, easily accessible introduction to some helpful values that immediately overlapped into life itself — another important team game.

As I understand it, one fact can and will never change, and that is that every game is won or lost as a team. In the five-year period leading up to and including the World Cup in 2003, I received an unhealthy amount of praise for my performances as a No 10 in a very successful team. It never sat comfortably with me or my acquired beliefs. In a way I struggled not to see it as hugely disrespectful to the other members of the squad who were working tirelessly for the same goal.

I also perceived it as grotesquely unfair to extract one person from an environment that so obviously could not exist or function without all members working together for one another.

For me the plaudits have often come as a result of being the last link in a chain. It was a very strong chain welded together by the efforts of us all. I guess it could be viewed as a sort of extra-complicated relay race that lasts about an hour and a half with the baton being passed to and fro between players constantly and thousands of times in total. Every player is contributing every second, some more than others, depending on where the action is taking place. Whether it be scoring a try, clearing a ruck or just talking to the guy next to you to help him to do his job better, we all carry the baton. If you take out one link in the chain, the play stops there. Sometimes the baton is dropped.

In the same way, we all carry the responsibility for things that do not work out, too. One of the first lessons I received many years ago was that I could always do better and that I could always do more to help someone else. The players in this England team very much understand that principle. This is a real strength.

This recent loss has been enormously disappointing. I think it is because the tight, positive and selfless attitude held by all the players and coaches breeds confidence and true belief. With this on board, we expect our hard work and spirit to write the happy ending for us. Unfortunately this time it was Ireland who added the last lines of the conclusion and they did it very well. We still managed to go straight back up the other end and have one more shot with a massive driving lineout effort, but it wasn’t to be.

In remaining true to my understanding of all things rugby, I now know that how we choose to react to this latest setback will determine how successful we are in the long run. I have no doubt that this team is ready to do whatever it takes and to do it all as one.

Times Online

Jonny Wilkinson admits that he feels deeply hurt after England’s Six Nations defeat to Ireland at Twickenham.

The 30-year-old has been criticised for his recent performances and mistakes marred his game once again on Saturday.

The World Cup winner missed three penalties in addition to fluffing a kick-off and spurning a drop-goal opportunity.

With Wilkinson’s positioning for Tommy Bowe’s match-winning try also being called into question, the fly-half says that he has not tasted such a sour defeat in recent memory.

“It’s disappointing. It’s a hell of a feeling actually,” he said.

Blame

“I’ve not felt like this for a long time. They hurt more and more. It feels like we’ve taken a big bang.”

However, Wilkinson was honest in the evaluation of his performance, saying that he must improve the defensive side of his game and conceding his decision on the kick-off was a poor one.

He added: “I’m happy to do that (blame myself). I don’t necessarily choose to because it keeps you awake a bit but it’s what drives you the next day to get up in the morning a bit earlier than most and get back on track.

“I’m always critical. I’d be critical of my positional play for three-quarters of that match. I pride myself on being defensively reliable and it’s definitely something I have to improve.

“About seven or eight years ago I remember coming to a press conference and saying I started the game with the world’s worst kick-off. I can safely say I have topped that.

“I was looking to get under the ball for a slightly shorter kick-off. It was a bad kick-off call. Just one of those things. It strengthens you as a person.”

Belief
Wilkinson stated that he never stopped believing England would triumph at any point during the tightly-fought clash, making the eventual defeat all the harder to take.

“I’ve been in good squads before in all parts of the world and I get a good feeling about this one,” he said.

“You start to know that together you can do this. We believed the whole way through that game we were going to do it.

“Right now it’s hurting. I’ve felt that bad before in games. We lost playing for Toulon with the video ref in the last minute against Montpellier.

“They hit you hard, but right now it’s because of spending a lot of time with these guys in camp. I know what winning that game could have done for us.

“It’s a big fall when you lose it in the last minutes.”

Sky Sports