Experts try dismantling Wilkinson

By ALAN PERROTT

Jonny Wilkinson's knees-bent, hands-together kicking routine has become depressingly familiar to England's opponents, both on and off the field.

The 23-year-old's idiosyncratic style has earned him some notable mimics at this World Cup, including Welshman Stephen Jones and Frederic Michalak, the French marksman.

But how does squatting like a baseball pinch-hitter help anyone kick a ball straight?

Auckland University sports biomechanist Dr Uwe Kersting suggested that the awkward posture might help him to get up to speed during his runup.

"Theoretically there could be a benefit from getting his centre of mass going forward," he said. "A certain position at the start of his runup could help him get a constant acceleration or develop his speed."

In a newspaper column, Wilkinson has said his side-on technique was developed to increase the whip in his kicking leg.

But Dr Kersting doubted it would deliver a major advantage, other than the psychological benefit of making his technique constant.

Clench and bend aside, the left-footer's unusual toe-tapping routine before some shots has also raised doubts over his mental state, but it's just another element of his widely copied technique.

According to the man himself, the tapping helps to scrunch his big toe into the "hard" position it must assume when he strikes the ball. Sometimes he even presses one of his studs into his left foot to help him to focus on where the impact will occur.

Former All Black kicking maestro Grant Fox says it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you strike the ball that counts.

He suggests that imitators ape Wilkinson in the hope that it will make them good kickers as well.

"It's the greatest form of flattery. Michalak has said he's trying to model himself on Jonny Wilkinson, but the bottom line is getting into the right position in the kicking stride," said Fox.

"If how you stand at the start helps you concentrate, then fine, but it doesn't make a blind bit of difference when you kick the ball. The crouch is part of [Wilkinson's] style, but it's not the reason for his success. That comes because he is an excellent technician."

Fox had his own peculiarities. You could almost poach an egg while he set the ball, gazed at the posts, stepped back and away, looked up, looked down, then gently shook his hands before each kick.

He doesn't recall spawning his own imitators and doubted it would have made them any better.

Still, there's no arguing with stats which show Wilkinson's constipated technique works more than 80 per cent of time no matter the conditions: remember his flawless winning display against New Zealand in the windy Cake Tin this year?

In his 50 tests to date, Wilkinson has successfully kicked 152 penalties, 123 conversions, 17 drop goals, oh and run in a few tries, for a total of 778 points.

At that rate of return England can expect to have a 15.56 point headstart - more than two converted tries - on the French even before their semifinal starts.

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