His two kicking failures against a rampant Wallaby side at the Suncorp Stadium did not

His two kicking failures against a rampant Wallaby side at the Suncorp Stadium did not exactly cost an embarrassingly half-baked England side the Test – he would have needed to chip over a good few penalties to cancel out the 11 tries registered by the opposition in the course of a record 76-0 victory – but the experience rocked him to his very bones and he admitted he still has not watched the tape.However, the misery of that humiliation set him on a learning curve bordering on the vertical. “Jonny’s kicking was a big factor in my decision.”According to Dave Alred, the specialist England coach who has worked closely with Wilkinson for three years, the new front-rank kicker has the potential to join the pantheon inhabited by the Ollie Campbells and Grant Foxes of rugby legend. Jonny plays a good 60 per cent of his Premiership rugby in the role and his defence is very strong indeed. I also took into consideration the fact that there is less pressure at inside centre than at outside- half.

In terms of his development, this will stand him in very good stead.”In reality, though, Wilkinson’s promotion has more to do with putting the funny-shaped ball between the sticks than his ability to knock opposition centres into the middle of the next millennium. Woodward backed Dawson’s kicking to the hilt before the Springbok Test but, although the gamble worked for him on that occasion, it was never the most convincing of arguments. “It would have been asking a lot of Matt to do the job again,” the coach conceded. “As soon as I knew both Greenwood and De Glanville were unfit, I put the inside centre position at the top of my priority list and set about watching the contenders.

Newcastle’s 19-year-old prodigy will also take over the goal-kicking duties from Matthew Dawson, whose occasional marksmanship just happened to earn England their famous victory over the world champions of South Africa 10 weeks ago.
“He’s a talented player, Jonny, and he’s in on merit,” pronounced Clive Woodward, the England coach, as he revealed his hand yesterday. Jonny Wilkinson, yet to emerge from his teens but making a very decent fist of life in the man’s world of the Allied Dunbar Premiership, will attempt to solve two of his country’s most pressing problems at Twickenham this weekend when he makes his first Five Nations start against Jim Telfer’s buoyant band of Calcutta Cup-hunting Scots. There were dark plots hatched, whisperings about pliers and wiring systems Suddenly last week, the seventh floor was silent again. But by Monday, it was back: Muzak is, it seems, an unstoppable force..

NOW THAT the Boy Wonder has grown a few hairs on his chest, England consider him properly equipped to mix it with the grown-ups. The property company that owns the block told us in its newsletter that everyone loved it, and that feet had been seen tapping in the corridors Some, however, were banging their heads on the wall. Background music has become deeply fashionable, with the sound repackaged as “ambient”, “lounge” or “cocktail”.It has not been universally popular in the Independent building in Washington. And it has paid off: last week, the company was bought out for more than $250m (pounds 150m) by a Boston-based firm.