9:32am Monday 21st June 2010
By John Boyman
JONNY Wilkinson kicked the winning penalty as England beat Australia 21-20 in Sydney on Saturday.
Returning to the stadium where his drop-goal won England the World Cup in 2003, the former Lord Wandsworth College pupil kicked a penalty through the same set of posts to give his country victory and level the Test series at 1-1.
Wilkinson came on as a replacement for the injured Toby Flood 10 minutes into the second half and his first act was to kick three points that put England 21-20 ahead.
This proved to be the last score of the match as Australian Matt Giteau missed two good penalty chances.
Talking about returning to the scene of his greatest triumph, Wilkinson said: “It was a joy coming back here and I take away some great memories.”
The fly-half was delighted with the win and wants England to build on the result.
“Everyone can have a big game now and again but the key is following that up with something else,” he added. “We’ve got to follow that example and keep on the right side of the score and wins.
“You have got to keep making the right choices, come back again and keep going in the right direction.”
Flanker Tom Croft, who grew up in Kingsclere, played the full 80 minutes and had a hand in one of England’s two tries, while London Irish full-back Delon Armitage saw 12 minutes of action as a replacement.
See The Monday Gazette for a full report.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/trade_directory/