Jonny Wilkinson, former Newcastle Falcons and England rugby star, will cover the first England game of the upcoming Six Nations on the 1st of February. His history as a world-class rugby player cannot be overstated, but he got his start right here in the North East at the ripe age of 18.

We break down his long and illustrious career, and what led him from the Newcastle Falcons, to the World Cup, and eventually, to the pundit box.

Newcastle Falcons and his rapid rise to fame

Jonny Wilkinson's career crossed three decades and four World Cups, but it all started in the North East. At the age of 18, Wilkinson made his professional debut with the Newcastle Falcons, initially starting out as an inside centre, until eventually settling into his well-known fly half position. His brother, Mark Wilkinson also made his start with the Newcastle Falcons, making 16 appearances over the years.

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After cutting his teeth with the Falcons Wilkinson began his international career as an unused replacement against Scotland, before coming off the bench, replacing Mike Catt, to play on the wing against Ireland at Twickenham on 4 April 1998.

He then participated in England's "Tour of Hell" in June 1998 that saw them suffer heavy defeats to both New Zealand and Australia (who defeated them 76–0). Wilkinson returned to domestic duties by taking over from Rob Andrew, who was made Falcons head coach (later Director of Rugby), as both their fly-half and goal kicker. Wilkinson became a fixture in the England team, and started in all their matches in the 1999 Five Nations Championship. He played for the Falcons in their 1999 Tetley's Bitter Cup final defeat to London Wasps.

Debut as captain, Six Nations, and the Rugby World Cup

Having established his reputation as a stellar player, it's no wonder he was picked as captain for the first time during the 2003 Six Nations Championship. The England Squad were on a hot streak, having defeated Wales, Italy and Scotland. In the final match against Ireland, England won the match 42-6, became champions, with Wilkinson being heralded as Man of the Match. But this was only the start of one of England's best years in rugby.

After the Six Nations, England commenced a tour to the Southern Hemisphere, to play New Zealand and Australia in June. Despite difficult weather conditions, Wilkinson scored all 15 points as England beat New Zealand 15–13 in Wellington. He was also a major force in their 25–14 win over Australia a week later, which was their first ever victory on Australian soil.

With England's 45–14 win over France in September, in which Wilkinson scored 18 points, England were now considered one of the favourites at the World Cup, set to start in October. Wilkinson was the youngest member of England's World Cup squad.

England would soar throught the Rugby World Cup, making it to the final against Australia, who were looking for their ninth consecutive win. With the scores level, Wilkinson received a pass and kicked a drop goal in extra time with just 26 seconds remaining, securing England the win at 20–17.

The win gave England its first Rugby World Cup, and broke the Southern Hemisphere's dominance of the tournament. Wilkinson became the tournament's leading points scorer with 113 points. He was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and also named the 2003 IRB International Player of the Year.

This is widely regarded as one of the crowning moments in English rugby, and is arguably the sporting moment Wilkinson is best known for. But what about his life off the pitch?

Meeting his wife after Sky presenter split

Wilkinson had been dating a Sky Sports presenter at the time of his World Cup win, Diana Stewart. She joined Sky in February 2003 and covered a variety of sports, including golf, tennis, boxing, football, and rugby, before taking on her current role as the host of Sky’s ‘Golf Night’.

A friend noted that "rugby got in the way” of the relationship at the time, but that the two parted on good terms. At the time of the split, Diana said: “We are not in a relationship at the moment, but we are still very close. Jonny and I speak every day, but the two of us have a lot of things going on in our lives.

“There was no one particular thing. A lot of factors played a part in the decision. Even so we are still incredibly supportive of each other. It works well.” Diana would go on to marry European Tour golfer Nick Dougherty on New Year’s Eve 2010.

After his split with Diana, he would meet his now wife, Shelley Jenkins. After 8 years together, on October 21, 2013, Jonny married his girlfriend of eight years, Shelley Jenkins, in a private ceremony in Bandol, on the French Riviera, near Toulon. They now have one child, a son believed to be named James. The ceremony was incredibly intimate, with only two guests in attendance - Jonny’s mum, Philippa, and Shelley's twin sister.

Retirement, advocacy and charity work

After the 2013-14 season, Wilkinson would hang up his rugby boots for good, retiring from the sport with 1,246 points scored from 97 test appearances. Following his retirement from the sport, his MBE and OBE would be upgraded to a CBE in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours "for services to the Rugby Union". The following year, he was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame at the opening ceremony for the Hall's first physical location in Rugby, Warwickshire.

A large believer in healthy living, mentally and physically, he has started several companies and organisations dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Starting his own Kombucha company, No.1 Living, after brewing it with his wife at home, who at the time was training to be a nutritionist, it goes to show the dedication he has to this day. Famous for never being one to drink, he maintains this belief now, and finds that he's "genuinely happy now. My life has changed so much in the past six years. I’ve been on a huge journey".

A major area of health he likes to focus on is mental health. He'd faced many challenges through his career, speaking to the Express, he said that “The team was outside in a huddle waiting for me. I was supposed to be giving the ‘come on we can do this’ speech and I was a shivering wreck in the toilet.

“So I was crouched down phoning Dave. And of course he wasn’t there. Why should he be? So I’m stuck in the cubicle with the phone and I can hear the team manager saying, ‘Where’s Jonny? We’ve got to go out in two minutes’.”

He has formed many foundations, as well as advocating for mental health off the rugby pitch through his charity work. He follows Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, and says that he seeks to live conciously rather than reactionary to drive his philanthropy.

Jonny Wilkinson Net Worth

Jonny Wilkinson is believed to be one of the richest men in Rugby, with a rumoured net worth of around £20.9 million. As of England's greatest ever rugby players, it's fair to say he's earned his worth.

Where is he now?

Since retiring from professional rugby, Jonny has made appearances as a pundit for Sky Sports and ITV Sport. He started in 2015 and has been a regular fixture on the pundit squad since.

He will be covering the England v Ireland match that will kick off England's run for the Six Nations title on the 1st of February 2025, marking his 10th year of punditry.

Every game will be shown live on BBC one and ITV1 throughout the duration of the tournament, with games also available to watch on BBC iPlayer and ITVX, so you don't have to miss a moment - even on the move.