1
'It's what needed to happen': Wilkinson's message to bruised England side
By Ben Smith
England's legendary flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson has offered a philosophical view of the 53-10 defeat at the hands of defending Grand Slam champions France.
The World Cup-winning No 10s perspective comes from personal experience after Wilkinson was involved in previous heavy defeats, suffering a 76-0 loss to Australia in 1998 and a 58-10 loss to South Africa in 2007.
In both cases England rebounded from the losses to have success, winning one World Cup in 2003 and making the final in the other 2007.
Wilkinson believed that the defeat will help the side reach the bottom from which they can shed themselves of false beliefs, allowing for a re-birth to occur following a mindset change.
His personal experience from the defeat to the Wallabies ended up as a 'cleansing opportunity' which enabled him to experience growth as a player.
"It's really interesting because it's what needs to happen, there is no other way around it," Wilkinson explained to the ITV post-game show.
"It's not a wrong turn, it's not the end of the path, this is the path.
"In that 1998 game for me it was a real cleansing opportunity to realise the story of who I thought I was could no longer carry on.
"It was almost forced to change. And in that change I found brand new possibility."
The former England flyhalf also didn't think this meant that success is years away, pointing to his experience in 2007 leading to his second World Cup final appearance.
England were heavily beaten in the summer by the Springboks in South Africa and returned to face them at that year's World Cup.
"In Bloemfontein in 2007, yes in the summer there we lost a game by 50 points, within three months we were in a World Cup final," he recalled.
"It doesn't mean 'oh this means years and years of this', it has to happen. It's a massive humility check in all kinds of ways.
"Not that those guys are arrogant but it is realising that an evolution needs to take place and it is a huge learning experience.
"If there is that desire and intention to push on, it will turn into something bigger and better.
"However long that takes, I don't know. Which players will be there and which won't, I don't know."
It doesn't get any easier for England who have to face Ireland next week, the world's current number one ranked side and favourites to complete a Grand Slam.
They will travel to Dublin to face Andy Farrell's side at home which could be a ceremonious occasion should Ireland defeat Scotland on Sunday.
Despite the result against France, Wilkinson believed the team will feel less burdened now that the worst has happened.
"I think that team will come out lighter next time on the field," he said.
"They'll feel more bouncy on their feet. They won't feel heavier because of this defeat.
"In that Ireland game I think there will be a freshness in the team.
"They can say 'yeah okay let's stop pretending' and give it a crack."
Trending on RugbyPass
2
The impact Townsend will have on Lions despite missing Farrell's team
3
Leicester lose out on first-choice Michael Cheika replacement
4
Aaron Smith and ‘three or four other All Blacks’ keen to play for AUNZ
5
Latest Comments
My partner and I had always been cautious investors, but like many others, we fell victim to an investment scheme that promised high returns in the cryptocurrency space. The company had a sleek website, a compelling pitch, and even endorsements from supposed financial experts. It all looked legitimate—until it wasn’t. One morning, as I checked our crypto wallet, my stomach dropped. The 350 ETH we had transferred was gone. The platform was suddenly inaccessible, support emails bounced back, and the so-called “investment managers” had disappeared. Panic set in. My partner, Lisa, tried to remain calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes. This was our hard-earned savings, and we had been scammed. Determined not to give up, we scoured the internet for help. That’s when we came across Galaxy Ethical Tech—a company specializing in ethical blockchain investigations and asset recovery. Their reputation was impeccable, and they had successfully helped many people retrieve lost funds from fraudulent crypto schemes. With nothing to lose, we reached out. Galaxy Ethical Tech assigned us a dedicated blockchain forensics expert, Daniel, who listened patiently to our story. He assured us that their technology could trace our stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets, even if the scammers had tried to obscure the transactions. Using advanced blockchain analytics and AI-driven tracing, Daniel and his team mapped out the movement of our ETH. The scammers had funneled the funds through multiple wallets and mixing services, but Galaxy Ethical Tech’s algorithms identified patterns in the transactions. Within 72 hours, they pinpointed where the stolen Ethereum had been consolidated. The next step was enforcement. Galaxy Ethical Tech collaborated with cybercrime authorities and blockchain security networks to freeze the identified wallets. They also leveraged their ethical hacking team to monitor real-time movements and prevent further laundering of the funds.Within two weeks, we received an email that made our hearts race. A significant portion of our 350 ETH had been recovered! Galaxy Ethical Tech coordinated with an exchange compliance team to ensure the funds were returned to our wallet. The relief was overwhelming. We had gone from despair to gratitude, all thanks to the ethical, transparent, and highly skilled approach of Galaxy Ethical Tech. Their AI-powered forensics, legal partnerships, and ethical hacking had saved us from a devastating loss.Today, Lisa and I are more cautious than ever in the crypto space, and we actively educate others on avoiding scams. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s this: when technology is used ethically, it can do wonders—even reclaim what was thought to be lost forever.Galaxy Ethical Tech didn’t just recover our Ethereum. They restored our faith in the power of ethical innovation.contact them via Email: galaxyethicaltech@mail.comWhatsapp: +15072712442Telegram: Galaxy_ethical_tech
Go to commentsMy partner and I had always been cautious investors, but like many others, we fell victim to an investment scheme that promised high returns in the cryptocurrency space. The company had a sleek website, a compelling pitch, and even endorsements from supposed financial experts. It all looked legitimate—until it wasn’t. One morning, as I checked our crypto wallet, my stomach dropped. The 350 ETH we had transferred was gone. The platform was suddenly inaccessible, support emails bounced back, and the so-called “investment managers” had disappeared. Panic set in. My partner, Lisa, tried to remain calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes. This was our hard-earned savings, and we had been scammed. Determined not to give up, we scoured the internet for help. That’s when we came across Galaxy Ethical Tech—a company specializing in ethical blockchain investigations and asset recovery. Their reputation was impeccable, and they had successfully helped many people retrieve lost funds from fraudulent crypto schemes. With nothing to lose, we reached out. Galaxy Ethical Tech assigned us a dedicated blockchain forensics expert, Daniel, who listened patiently to our story. He assured us that their technology could trace our stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets, even if the scammers had tried to obscure the transactions. Using advanced blockchain analytics and AI-driven tracing, Daniel and his team mapped out the movement of our ETH. The scammers had funneled the funds through multiple wallets and mixing services, but Galaxy Ethical Tech’s algorithms identified patterns in the transactions. Within 72 hours, they pinpointed where the stolen Ethereum had been consolidated. The next step was enforcement. Galaxy Ethical Tech collaborated with cybercrime authorities and blockchain security networks to freeze the identified wallets. They also leveraged their ethical hacking team to monitor real-time movements and prevent further laundering of the funds.Within two weeks, we received an email that made our hearts race. A significant portion of our 350 ETH had been recovered! Galaxy Ethical Tech coordinated with an exchange compliance team to ensure the funds were returned to our wallet. The relief was overwhelming. We had gone from despair to gratitude, all thanks to the ethical, transparent, and highly skilled approach of Galaxy Ethical Tech. Their AI-powered forensics, legal partnerships, and ethical hacking had saved us from a devastating loss.Today, Lisa and I are more cautious than ever in the crypto space, and we actively educate others on avoiding scams. But if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s this: when technology is used ethically, it can do wonders—even reclaim what was thought to be lost forever.Galaxy Ethical Tech didn’t just recover our Ethereum. They restored our faith in the power of ethical innovation.contact them via Email: galaxyethicaltech@mail.comWhatsapp: +15072712442Telegram: Galaxy_ethical_tech
Go to comments