I'VE BEEN OUT FOR TOULON

JONNY WILKINSON is ready to relaunch his international career after fearing he would never play for England again.

The injury-plagued World Cup-winning talisman returns to Red Rose action against Australia in eight days’ time a new man after switching from Newcastle Falcons to Toulon.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed an injury-free start to his career in France, while his England team-mates have been dropping like flies in the Guinness Premiership.

Having fully recovered from the career-threatening dislocated knee that sidelined him for 10 months, Wilkinson finds himself involved in Martin Johnson’s set-up for the first time.

The exclusive Pennyhill Park Hotel is the same one used by Sir Clive Woodward’s squad six years ago and Wilkinson believes it’s the perfect spot for England’s ­Investec Series assault.

“I probably did fear this day wouldn’t come,” he said.

“I was out for a long time and when I did come back in it was for funny little cameo ­appearances and more lay-offs.

There’s something about being back in an ­environment which is all about the ­players and getting the best out of them. It’s an amazing feeling.

“The attention to detail and infrastructure creates a great feeling. You get flashbacks to a few years ago when we were in this hotel before the 2003 World Cup.”

With 11 players already missing through injury, Johnson has chosen to avoid full-contact sessions, ­allowing his players to rest their aching bodies ahead of the three-match series.

Wilkinson has been urged to avoid his trademark bone-crunching ­physicality in order to extend his career.

But he said: “If you are out there ­consciously thinking, ‘I’m not going into that, I’ll leave that tackle to someone else’, then I think you’re falling into a dangerous area.

“When you are out there, whatever you do, you do it 100 per cent. That will never change for me.”

Johnson said: “Obviously you’d want everyone available and in great form but that rarely happens. We are confident in the group we’ve got.”

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