Wilkinson gets shock England recall
Monday, 29 January 2007England's World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has won a shock international recall for next Saturday's RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Scotland at Twickenham.
The Newcastle fly-half, despite playing barely 50 minutes' rugby in 12 weeks, will be reunited with England's number 10 shirt more than three years since he last wore it.
A demoralising catalogue of injuries and illness - his most recent problem was a lacerated kidney - stalled the 27-year-old's England career on 52 caps.
He has not represented his country since landing an extra-time drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final that gave England a 20-17 victory over Australia.
But Wilkinson now returns to the fold for Brian Ashton's first game as England head coach, taking his place in a radically-changed team.
Former Great Britain rugby league captain, 31-year-old Andy Farrell, will line up alongside Wilkinson at inside centre, making a union Test bow after just seven first team starts for Saracens since he switched codes.
And Farrell's former Wigan colleague Jason Robinson returns for a first England appearance since retiring from Test rugby in September, 2005, while his fellow World Cup winner Mike Tindall is also back.
England team: I Balshaw, J Lewsey, M Tindall, A Farrell, J Robinson, J Wilkinson, H Ellis, P Freshwater, G Chuter, P Vickery, L Deacon, D Grewcock, J Worsley, M Lund, M Corry
Replacements: L Mears, J White, T Palmer, L Moody, P Richards, T Flood, M Tait
