Newcastle have a new Wilkinson fly-half with plenty of potential

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Hear the one about the Newcastle Falcons fly-half called Wilkinson? Of course you have. Jonny’s story is a fabled one. But another playmaker with the same surname, Kieran, is eager to impress on Tyneside and pen a new chapter in the process.

Lest we forget, Jonny Wilkinson was just 24 when he struck the right-footed drop-goal that won the World Cup for England. Despite a glorious renaissance at Toulon, it would remain as the defining achievement of his career.

Kieran Wilkinson – no relation – has reached the same age. By his own admission, though, the former England Under-20 international is yet to establish himself in the senior ranks. Last season, while he was in the bowels of the Leicester Tigers squad yearning for any sort of game-time, Wilkinson fielded a phone call from Steve Diamond asking if he fancied another move.

Diamond had been Wilkinson’s director of rugby at Sale Sharks, where the latter came through the academy, and was conducting a revamp in Newcastle. “He’s a very straightforward bloke,” Wilkinson says of Diamond. “No rubbish, just honesty.

“You’ve got to give your all and show that you care about the club. If you take your opportunities and say ‘look at me’, I think he appreciates that. He’s an actions-over-words kind of guy, which I admire.”

The fondness is mutual. “We all want to make it at 20,” Diamond reflects. “Kieran’s been in the Sale environment a long time. He’s been to Leicester, he’s played in the Championship [with Coventry]. Now he’s got an opportunity to fight for a spot with Brett Connon and will get a lot of game-time.

“He’s mature now, he knows how to control a game and understands what we’re trying to do. He’s very skilful and was very highly ranked coming through as a schoolboy. He’s just not been able to deliver because he hasn’t had the opportunity. But he can’t keep being a never-was. Now is his chance to shine.”

Diamond remembers giving Wilkinson a run of starts in the 2018-19 European Challenge Cup. Sale topped a pool featuring Connacht, Bordeaux-Bègles and Perpignan. Those outings foreshadowed three England appearances for Wilkinson in the U-20 Six Nations. From there, though, chances dried up somewhat.

Alex Sanderson picked him for a series of Premiership games in October 2021, but Wilkinson headed to Leicester ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. Behind Handré Pollard and Jamie Shillcock, he would have to make do with four competitive outings – not including two games as an unused replacement – as well as two more friendlies against Georgian side Black Lion and Oxford University.

In one sense, this is the occupational hazard of playing in a specialist position in a market that has shrunk after the collapses of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish.

Since the 2017-18 season, around 20 young fly-halves have been named in England U-20 squads. Of those, only Marcus Smith and Fin Smith could be described as first-choice picks for a Premiership side in that role. Just as many, Manu Vunipola and James Grayson, have signed with teams in Japan. Put simply, jobs are scarce.

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“It’s tough,” Wilkinson explains. “Week in, week out you’re hoping for a shot but you have to take things with a pinch of salt because, at the end of the day, you’ve proven nothing.

“I’d proved nothing to be starting in the league. At the same time, it’s frustrating because you want to play. You’ve got to take all the information you can and, obviously, continue to work hard.”

Sanderson once flagged that, as teenagers, Wilkinson and Marcus Smith were viewed similarly. Both are relatively small in stature and enjoy taking on defenders with jinking footwork. Now, one has some 160 Harlequins appearances and 35 caps. The other, hopefully, is on the verge of a big break.

“There are only 10 teams in the league, which is unfortunately getting smaller, and that was a big hit for players,” Wilkinson continues.

“You have to have a bit of luck, being at the right place at the right time – or the right club at the right time. Injuries play a part. That can get you on a bench. Next minute, you’re performing off the bench and closer to a start.

“You’ve got to take the opportunities. You can have all the luck in the world up to that point, but if you’re not taking those, you won’t get picked. That’s how competitive it is.”

There is no regret or self-pity here. Wilkinson stresses that he “would not change much” about his path to this point. As the understudy to AJ MacGinty, Rob du Preez, George Ford and Pollard, he has learned plenty.

“With George it’s the detail in the game,” Wilkinson says. “He knows it like the back of his hand, little things like how a breakdown will massively contribute to the backs on the edge. For example, if forwards fire through a breakdown, they’ll stop the fold of the defence and your wingers’ eyes are lighting up.

“I’d say with Handré, it’s the calmness and the resilience. It’s him stepping up for those pressure kicks: ‘I’ll take this’.”

If a 40-39 loss to Sale in Saturday’s pre-season hit-out is anything to go by, Falcons will not die wondering. And neither will Wilkinson.

“I want to be a big threat in attack,” he says. “I want to put my team in the right areas and score fast, not being scared to go at teams. I pride myself on organisation and finding the best way to score – run, kick or pass.

“It’s about being ready all the time, picking when it is the right time to go, like a Marcus Smith, a Finn Russell or a Danny Cipriani back in the day. I grew up watching him.”

Bidding to improve on a record of 18 losses from 18 in the Premiership last term, Newcastle are heavy underdogs. Their boss would not have it any other way. Their new fly-half might just thrive as well.

“We’ve got Steve Diamond as DoR, who’s been an underdog most of his life,” Wilkinson finishes. “We’ll take it on the chin because we deserve it – last year wasn’t good enough. We’ll try our best and hopefully surprise some teams.

“Maybe people think I’m an underdog 10 as well, but I definitely feel ready for the challenge. I’ve been working since I was 18 years old for this opportunity.”