England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson believes he has improved as a player since the 2003 World Cup which saw him become a national hero.
Toulon star says he has become stronger since cup glory
England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson believes he has improved as a player since winning the 2003 World Cup.
Wilkinson's late drop-goal in the Sydney final earned England a dramatic 20-17 victory over Australia and, as a result, the Webb Ellis trophy.
The Toulon player is expected to once again earn a national call-up for the clash with Australia at Twickenham on November 7- providing he manages to stay clear of injuries during Saturday afternoon's game against Bourgoin.
The former Newcastle star's career has been blighted by setbacks - with shoulder, knee, arm, kidney, hernia and rib problems all proving a hindrance for the fly-half.
Should the 30-year-old stay fit and be called-up for the first of England's Autumn internationals, he admits fans will see a better player than the one he was six years ago.
Better
"People will ask me: 'Will you ever be like you were in 2003?' The answer is: 'I am way better now'," Wilkinson told
The Times.
"If you could transport the me now straight into the situations of 2001 and 2003, what would I have done? I think the me now would have been handy.
"I am undoubtedly better. There is no way that the 2001 version would have been able to deal with the 2007 World Cup experience. I don't know how I would have dealt with it. I wouldn't have had the intelligence or the experience."
That tournament in France two-years-ago saw Wilkinson miss the opening two games following an ankle injury, before returning to establish himself as a key figure in England's progress to the final.
Attention will inevitably focus on Wilkinson's physical fitness but the 30-year-old believes his improvements mentally are what have made him the player he is today.
Pillars
"I was suited to 2001 or 2003 because I was surrounded by people like Mike Catt, (Kyran) Bracken or (Matt) Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Will Greenwood, Martin Johnson, pillars all around me," he added.
"I was doing things because I was getting a load of help from them. But that person in 2007, or here in France? Not a chance. I am way better now because I understand what is going on.
"Back then it was like a headache trying to work out 100 things at once. It is almost like you are dissecting and composing, all the time. That much mental strain with the pressure of playing at a high level when I was young, without all that help, wouldn't have combined.
"Now I am processing it without too much effort. That is why, if asked if I will ever be back to where I was in 2003, if the exact same situations ever played out I think I would go all right."
