World
Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon) and Steve
Thompson (Brive) have both been named England's starting
XV for Saturday's home game against Australia.
The
recalled duo were among five France-based players named in
Martin Johnson's match-day 22, with James Haskell (Stade
Francais), Andy Goode (Brive) and the uncapped Ayoola Erinle
(Biarritz) all on the replacements' bench.
But it
was the confirmation that Wilkinson and Thompson would both
start that caught the eye. Wilkinson, 30, was widely
expected to begin at fly-half after a stunning return to
form and fitness following his summer move from Newcastle
Falcons to Toulon.
He heads
Top 14's scoring charts, has been banging over penalties and
drop-goals with his usual aplomb and looks fitter and
healthier than he has for years.
Injury
and loss of form may have cleared his path of Toby Flood and
Danny Cipriani respectively, but Wilkinson's current form
has won him his first England cap in 18 months on merit.
Thompson
came on as a late replacement for England against Argentina
in June, but this will be his first start since the 2006 Six
Nations as he completes a remarkable comeback following
earlier retirement from the sport after breaking his neck.
Saturday will be his 49th England cap after being preferred
to Dylan Hartley, who was hampered in training last week by
a strained hamstring, but Thompson admitted the speed of his
re-involvement had caught him by surprise.
"I knew
about the injuries, and then all of a sudden I'm starting.
I'm nervous - it's like winning your first cap again - but I
know what to expect from the whole day. You never know how
precious something is until you lose it, and now I've got
the chance to get it back," he said.
"I've
got to thank Brive so much," he admitted at an England press
conference on Wednesday. "They took me in when I was at a
bit of a crossroads. They were good to me - I've been
through some hard times - they stuck with me and I got
through to where I am now."
He said Top 14 was "a whole new way of
playing rugby for me", and admitted: "I wouldn't be sitting
here today if I hadn't gone to France".
Despite
all he has been through Thompson is still only 31, and has
now set his aims on representing England at the 2011 World
Cup.
"For me
it's all about the future," he reaffirmed. "I'm here now and
I've got to cement my place and I really want to go to
another World Cup," said the FRC columnist. He went on to
talk about how he and Wilkinson had both benefitted from
moving across the Channel to play and live in France.
"We sat
down in the pub last week - I had a beer and he had a coke -
and we were just talking about the whole experience," said
Thompson. "He's much more relaxed and happy, and he's a bit
like I was perhaps - he had all those injuries at Newcastle
and a lot of pressure. Now he's more happy-go-lucky. He's
still got that focus, but he looks as if he's got more of a
balance, and that goes for me too really."
Johnson,
who captained Thompson to World Cup glory in 2003, was full
of praise for his former team-mate's efforts in returning to
top form with Brive following his serious neck injury.
"Steve
probably realised what he was missing and had the desire to
come back," said Johnson. "He got himself into shape, worked
really hard and he has been fantastic for us these last 10
days, as he was in the summer. It is good to have that
experience among the younger players," he added.
Wilkinson will win his 71st cap on Saturday - but his first
alongside Thompson since the 2003 World Cup final. "He had
just been Jonny Wilkinson," said Johnson. "He gets on with
what he does and does it very well."
Johnson
added that Wilkinson's experience and leadership had shone
through during training.
England starting XV v Australia:
U Monye (Harlequins), M Cueto
(Sale Sharks), D Hipkiss (Leicester Tigers), S Geraghty
(Northampton Saints), M Banahan (Bath), J Wilkinson
(Toulon), D Care (Harlequins), T Payne (Wasps), S Thompson
(CA Brive), D Wilson (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester Tigers), S
Borthwick (Saracens, Capt), T Croft (Leicester Tigers), L
Moody (Leicester Tigers), J Crane (Leicester Tigers)
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton Saints), D Bell
(Bath), C Lawes (Northampton Saints), J Haskell (Stade
Francais), P Hodgson (London Irish), A Goode (CA Brive), A
Erinle (Biarritz Olympique)
