Fitness the issue as Wilkinson gets ready to tackle biggest challenge

Like Martin Johnson, England's new captain is naturally shy, but can be expected to lead by example, writes Chris Hewett

It was Sir Clive Woodward's great good fortune to manage an England side positively awash with potential captains, from Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio to Neil Back, Matthew Dawson, Jason Leonard, Kyran Bracken, Richard Hill and Phil Vickery - more than enough leadership material for the red rose army, and almost enough for the Red Army itself. Woodward's successor, Andy Robinson, was not quite so garlanded with options when he went captain-hunting late last month. Most of the obvious candidates were in retirement or injured or filming for the BBC. As one door closed, another one slammed in the coach's face.

Robinson effectively found himself left with Jonny Wilkinson and yesterday, he clutched him to his breast like a long-lost brother. Wilkinson knows what it is to play the front man, despite his instinctive craving for privacy; he is one of two joint-captains at Newcastle - the other being a rather less celebrated player by the name of Ian Peel - and while he is hardly one of life's natural performing poodles, he has slowly come to terms with life in front of a hundred notebooks and a thousand cameras.

More pertinently, from Robinson's perspective, there is more of the Johnson than the Dallaglio in Wilkinson - a fact that sits perfectly with the coach's idea of who and what an England captain should be. Robinson respected the Wasps No 8 as a barn-storming, heart-on-the-sleeve leader, but was always deeply suspicious of his good-time image and enthusiastic embrace of celebrity status. He much preferred Johnson's quiet, colourless but ruthlessly intense approach to business. Those two spoke the same language, if it is possible to have a language based entirely on facial expression and the occasional swear-word.

To be sure, Wilkinson has a similar track record of example-setting in the England environment, and like Johnson, his examples have tended to stem from deeds of derring-do on the field rather than tub-thumping interventions in the dressing room. Up to and including last year's World Cup, he was brave to the point of recklessness. If some of his courage was misplaced - sending Wilkinson into 20 rucks a game is the sporting equivalent of asking Bach to compose a theme tune for "Emmerdale" - the rest of it was worth its weight in gold ingots. His tackling, unprecedentedly fierce for a player in his position, was very nearly as crucial as his goal-kicking.

But that was then. The great imponderable now, more than nine months after Wilkinson's long-term neck problems finally caught up with him and left him at the mercy of the surgeon's knife, is whether he can still deliver the defensive displays that allowed him to redefine the outside-half's role. He can still kick goals from everywhere, and he can still pin the opposition in their own half of the field with a swing of the left boot - a boot so educated that it should have the letters Ph.D printed on the instep. But will he ever be as fearless as he once was? Can he still tackle the world, and to hell with the consequences? By appointing him captain, Robinson clearly believes all is right with the Wilkinson body. But coaches and directors of rugby up and down the Premiership beg to differ. By dissecting the video evidence as well as watching him in the flesh, they suspect Wilkinson is avoiding tackles rather than seeking them out. They say he is tentative in contact. They believe the No 10 channel he once defended with the ferocity of guard dog is now open to intruders.

If this turns out to be the case, the Wilkinson who takes the field against the tough-nut Canadians at Twickenham next month will be a very different stand-off to the one who crash-tackled his heart out before dropping the goal that won England their first World Cup 11 months ago.

And in turn, it leaves Robinson with a selectorial knot of Gordian proportions. The form outside-half in the country right now is Charlie Hodgson of Sale, and if Olly Barkley performs as well for Bath in the coming weeks as he did against Gloucester last Saturday, he will not be far behind. A year ago, England's coaching team would have been happy to run an in-form Hodgson at outside-half, and play the Newcastle man outside him in the No 12 shirt. But the inside-centre role is no place for shrinking violets, for heavy-duty tackling is not an optional extra there. Wilkinson circa 2003 would have cherished every minute spent in the heavy traffic. Wilkinson circa 2004 may not be so keen.

Robinson must also have assured himself, in the face of precious little recent evidence, that Wilkinson is more tactically astute than he appeared during the World Cup campaign. Remember the shambles against Samoa in Melbourne, and against the Welsh in Brisbane? On those occasions, Wilkinson seemed happier kicking goals from desperate positions on the touch-lines than completing simple passes of the fifth-form variety.

The truth that dared not speak its name in Australia a year ago was that England won the Webb Ellis Trophy despite the game-management contributions of their outside-half, rather than because of them.

So in many ways, Wilkinson has it all to prove, all over again. He always wanted the England captaincy; he believes his work ethic, his self-sacrifice and his unchallenged sense of professionalism has prepared him for the role. He may well be right. If there is any justice in the sporting world, he will be every bit as successful a leader as Johnson, who could not have laid hands on more glittering prizes had he burgled a silversmith's shop. No one, not even the great Leicester lock, has given more of himself in pursuit of perfection.

International rugby takes no prisoners, though; a player's weaknesses shall find him out. If this current Jonny Wilkinson is a single notch down from the 2003 model as a result of his physical traumas, he will be an ex-captain long before the next World Cup.

GOLDENBOYS FOUR WHO WERE THRUST INTO CAPTAINCY

IAN BOTHAM

Appointed England cricket captain in 1980, aged 25, Botham's record was an uninspiring four draws and eight defeats. Although his spell appears to be a failure, nine of his matches were against the all-conquering West Indians of the time.

DAVID BECKHAM

Since being handed football's armband as a 25-year-old against Italy in 2000, Beckham boasts a decent record of 20 wins, eight defeats and nine draws. To be remembered for his free-kick against Greece in 2002 which booked a World Cup spot.

TONY JACKLIN

Orchestrated Europe's first Ryder Cup triumph, overturning 30 years of American golf domination at the Belfry in 1985. Became captain two years earlier as a 39-year-old, and in 1987 handed America its first home Cup defeat at Muirfield Village.

WILL CARLING

Was England's youngest rugby captain, aged 22, in 1988, and led the side to a 28-19 victory over Australia in his first game. After an eight-year spell and 59 games, his legacy was a 75 per cent winning record, including three Grand Slams.