Just over six months after retiring in a blaze of glory in 2014, it seemed as though Jonny Wilkinson got a little ahead of himself for the first time in his life.
England’s World Cup-winning number 10 was widely expected to be honoured with a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s honours list and even tweeted out what looked like the gist of a humble acceptance speech.
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.
EDITORS PICKS:
5 things you didn’t know about Jonny Wilkinson, including his phobias, religion and son
#1. Sporting family
Wilkinson’s brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre. His father, Phil, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level. His grandfather, Phil, also played football for Norwich.