Wilkinson believes he is a better player
Saturday, 24 October 2009 10:13Jonny Wilkinson believes he is a better player now than he was when he kicked England to World Cup glory.
The Toulon player is widely expected to be named in the England squad for November's clash with Australia - providing he does not suffer another in his catalogue of injuries during this afternoon's game against Bourgoin.
And he insists he has even more going for him than in his former incarnation, which saw him become a national hero.
The then-Newcastle fly-half's last-gasp drop-goal in the 2003 final in Sydney earned his country a 20-17 victory over hosts Australia - and the Webb Ellis trophy.
And he told The Times: 'People will ask me: 'Will you ever be like you were in 2003?' The answer is: 'I am way better now'.'
'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.'
