Jonny Wilkinson: The Pursuit Of Happiness

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Rarely has a triumph brought so much joy to so many whilst at the same time bringing so much pain to the individual responsible for that triumph. On the 22nd November 2003 in Sydney, Jonny Wilkinson dropped the most famous goal in rugby history and thus brought to an end England’s wait for it’s first world title in a major sport since 1966.

Whilst English pride swelled as Martin Johnson lifted aloft the William Webb Ellis trophy, Wilkinson was left to come to terms with a very personal despair, the realisation that at the age of 24 his most cherished goal, a goal which he had dedicated his whole life to achieving, had been achieved.

“The problem with reaching the peak of the tallest mountain in your dreams is that the path can only wind down the other side further and further away from this idyllic moment. I had pictured this image—worshipped it even—for years, maybe as long as I could remember. As we walked around the field in our celebratory lap of honour I could feel my dream beginning to slip away. The brightness was already fading and with each second that passed so was my happiness,” he admitted.

During the years which followed the World Cup, Wilkinson was forced to reassess his own values and mindset, even studying Buddhist teachings and principles to help him deal with his own perfectionist attitude.

After twelve seasons at his beloved Newcastle Falcons, Wilkinson made the switch to the south of France this Summer to join the new revolution of rugby galacticos at Toulon. Following years of disappointments including multiple injuries and a World Cup Final defeat to South Africa in 2007, England’s ‘perfect 10’ finally seems to have found some form of contentment.

In an environment completely alien to his familiar Jordi surroundings, Wilkinson seems right at home, speaking fluent French and sporting flowing golden locks and a permanent tan. More importantly to English rugby fans he is playing some of his best rugby and is poised to make a return to the International stage in the Autumn.

It is hard not to appreciate the professionalism of a man who would regularly stay two hours after his teammates had finished training to perfect his kicking.

“I complete every session with six kicks at goal from different positions. I have to make every one before I can go home. If I don’t, the sequence starts again. My conscience doesn’t allow me to stop before the set is complete. My record, and it is not one I’m particularly proud of, stands at five hours, set when I was seventeen."

However, it is also hard not to feel sorry for Wilkinson for this same professionalism. For here is a man who is so desperate to succeed over and over again, that he had forgotten to enjoy a moment that nearly every boy in this country dreams of: winning the world cup. Here is a man who is so desperate not to let anyone down that he confessed, “I refuse to go into a fast food outlet—to use the toilet even—in case anyone got the wrong idea and thought I was sneaking in a quick burger. I play with a fear of letting people down. That’s what motivates me.”

Wilkinson is spurred on by his belief that “perfection is not held by the man who has everything he wants but thrives in him who gives everything he has.” One suspects that such a driven individual will never be completely contented and that behind his healthy exterior there still remains, and always will remain, a deep sense of dissatisfaction with imperfection. 

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