Scotland game is forgotten

Jonny Wilkinson is in no mood to reflect on last week's display as he prepares for Italy.

RBS Six Nations, England v Italy, Twickenham, Saturday February 10, KO 1.30pm

Having lost three years of his international career to injury, Jonny Wilkinson is in no mood for looking back on past glories, insisting the Scotland win has already been forgotten.

Wilkinson earned the praise of the media, fans and team-mates alike with a man-of-the-match performance at Twickenham, scoring 27 points in England's 42-20 win.

However, the Newcastle man insists that performance has already been confined to his sizeable scrapbook, with next opponents Italy the only thing on his mind.

"As soon as the game's over, I allow myself a little time to say - in a positive way - 'thank God that game is over - it's gone well, it's gone the way I hoped it would in terms of the win'," Wilkinson told Sky Sports News.

"But so quickly Sunday and Monday comes around and you realise that, until I finish like Martin Johnson has, those moments don't matter.

"Martin Johnson has retired now and he is somebody I massively look up to, and when he looks back now those moments matter.

"But when you've got a game to play each week, those moments can't matter - they don't count for anything.

"They count for as much as you allow them to in terms of confidence, but in terms of when you talk to people they mean nothing - it's all about this next game.

"That will always be the way so I will always go on to worry about what I need to do for this next game - preparation wise.

"To be honest, as much as everyone may have focused on that Scotland game, for me it was gone within half an hour of playing that game."

Wilkinson believes he has now 'paid his injury dues' after missing 30 consecutive Tests, and he is determined to prove his worth to his England team-mates.

Many onlookers may well feel that job has already been done after last weekend's super-show, but the modest stand-off is fully aware that he arrived in the team without any form to speak of.

"I think I had one injury that stopped me from playing up to the World Cup final, and in six-and-a-half years of rugby I don't think anyone can match that in terms of luck and good fortune," said Wilkinson.

"If you speak to some of the young lads now, people like Toby Flood and Mathew Tait, they are 20 or 21 and Mathew has already had a month off here and a month off there - I think it is just the game, now.

"Maybe, because I got that six-and-a-half years under my belt, the balance had to be restored and I was in a situation where I have had to pay my dues.

"A lot of it on Saturday was getting used to the frantic nature of it all again - the pace, the environment, and the way international rugby differs from club rugby in so many ways.

"I couldn't think of anything worse than playing for England and people thinking I didn't deserve it and that I hadn't earned the right to be there.

"It is so important to me that I earn the right to be there in team-mate's' eyes and family and friends' eyes and so on. "

"What mattered to me at the top of the list was that England came out of the game with a win and now we can strive to build some momentum."