England legend Jonny Wilkinson looked destined for one final honour after bringing the curtain down on his glittering rugby career in 2014.
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Having won the Rugby World Cup with England, conquered Europe and France with Toulon, and established himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats, many expected a knighthood to follow in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
But in a rare misstep from rugby’s ultimate perfectionist, Wilkinson appeared to jump the gun. The former fly-half posted what many interpreted as the beginnings of a humble acceptance message on social media, seemingly confirming reports that a knighthood was on the way.
There was just one problem — the honour never arrived.
The now-deleted post quickly sparked speculation before Wilkinson moved to clarify the situation, deleting the message and later congratulating those who had made the list. In typically classy fashion, the World Cup hero took the embarrassment in his stride, proving that even one of rugby’s most meticulous figures can occasionally get caught out.
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Wilkinson, who famously kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003 and tackled like a human wrecking ball, remains one of the game’s most admired figures. If anyone deserves a “Sir” before their name, it’s probably him.
For now though, Jonny remains just a legend—and we’re pretty sure he’s okay with that.
The European and French champion with Toulon did manage to row back on his original (now deleted) Tweet to offer congratulations to all the non-perfect people who did make it on this year’s list.
Maybe next year, JW.
Might not be on the NY list by the way. Congrats 2 those will be + the many who deserve 2 be. Your support still baffles the hell out of me!
— Jonny Wilkinson (@JonnyWilkinson) December 30, 2014
RICHIE MCCAW DREAM TEAM:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Christian Cullen (New Zeland)
- 14. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
- 11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
McCawon Lomu: “When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once.
“He is one of the absolute superstars of rugby. If you go to somewhere where rugby is perhaps not well known then the one guy they do know is Jonah. It’s really sad that he’s passed away at age 40. He was a legend of the All Blacks and a legend of rugby.”
CENTRES:
- 13. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
- 12. Jonny Wilkinson (England)
McCaw on Wilkinson: “He’ll go down as one of the greats of world rugby.”
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
- 9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
McCaw on Carter: “There are a lot of good players but the guys who did it for a long time and that I’ve been lucky to play with is Dan Carter. In the final, he was sensational and he’s been great for a long time. So to be able to play with him for the years I’ve been playing was pretty cool.”
