Jonny Wilkinson. Photo / Getty Images
The last thing we ever expected England and Argentina to prove on the World Cup's second day was that goal-kicking can be overrated as a means of accumulating points.
Though a drumskin-tight match appeared to cry out for nicking notches on the scoreboard whenever the chance came, the inaccuracy of
Martin Rodriguez, Felipe Contepomi and most shockingly old Goldenboots, Jonny Wilkinson, made that numbers game an utter lottery. It was no point repeating the mocking Aussie refrain in the glory year of 2003 and asking England "Is that all you've got?" when they didn't even have that.
Any questions over the 32-year-old Wilkinson's right to the No 10 jersey for England had rested elsewhere in the past year or so, when he ceded it to Toby Flood. The Leicester fly-half held Martin Johnson's favour - despite all the manager's insistence that Wilkinson's world class was not in doubt - right up to the three August friendlies with which England tuned up for New Zealand.
When Wilkinson got the nod over Flood in Ireland two weekends ago and again for the Pool B opener against Argentina, it was both a reaffirmation of his longevity since taking his injury-ravaged body to Toulon a couple of years ago, and Flood's waning as a first-choice selection.
Now the debate will be opened again, in addition to the normal considerations for the matches against Georgia, Romania and Scotland of when to rest and rotate combinations.
