Rugby: Wilkinson warns England against grandstanding

World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson with Prince Harry. Photo / Getty Images

As Stuart Lancaster's squad took to the stage at the O2 Arena yesterday for a gala send-off, England's 2003 World Cup-winning star, Jonny Wilkinson, warned of the dangers of distraction as they approach the most important tournament of their lives.

Wilkinson admitted that the Usain Bolt grandstanding manner before an event is not for him and urged England to make sure they had their own strategies in place to deal with all the hype that is building around them, including how to keep their focus for the all-important first game against Fiji at Twickenham next Saturday morning (NZT) when the match is preceded by an opening ceremony that will be watched round the world.

"I always used to shut out stuff because it reminded me of being celebrated as a team before you had achieved anything," said Wilkinson.

"It is a bit like talking about the final when you are playing pool games.

"The whole celebration thing is tricky. It can be amazing but it is also a borderline distraction. For me, we were given messages in the past to take it all in, to embrace it, but I always shut it out. Players do things differently.

"You see Usain Bolt messing about before a race but, if I was doing the 100 metres and the camera was in front of me, I'd have my eyes on the ground straight ahead of me. I wouldn't be doing that other stuff.

"You have got to be true to yourself but, at the same time, you also need a team structure to deal with it. You can't have three-quarters of the team over in one place and another load over there doing 'Hi, Mum!'

"They have to enjoy it, of course, and stick together but understand emotionally that, although these kind of things are great, there is a game to be played later on. That is all that matters. If you get the ceremony right and the game wrong, no one is going to remember you."

England are committed to only official Rugby World Cup events between now and their opener against Fiji. As with all the other 19 competing countries, they have a capping ceremony to attend with their presentation scheduled for Sandhurst on Sunday.

Their whole programme has been planned in detail for the past couple of years with the bulk of their commitments to sponsors already met. England were criticised for their haphazard and ambivalent responsibility to their backers at the 2011 World Cup tournament in New Zealand and Lancaster, the head coach, has made a point of meeting those requirements professionally.

Lancaster has also made a point of revving up the mood at Twickenham, even extending the walk from the coach drop-off point so that the players could feed off the emotional support of the crowd.

Wilkinson, who took part in four World Cup campaigns, also warns that the England squad should be prepared for an enormous upturn in pressure and intensity in matches, well above normal internationals.

"Every one of the best teams in the world is here ready to take their shot. It's like the film Karate Kid with all the guys outside the ring looking in. In World Cups you don't get any second shots."

Wilkinson is an expert witness when it comes to deciding who should start at first five-eighths for England.

"George [Ford] and Owen [Farrell] are both amazing players but George has to carry on because England have put the momentum in him, so that ball is rolling and it needs to roll through to Fiji."