There have been few better fly-halves in the history of rugby than Jonny Wilkinson.
Many fans still consider the English World Cup winner as the greatest player in history after his time with Newcastle Falcons and Toulon.
Due to his stellar reputation and unique playing style, the English national team have been desperate to find the heir to Wilkinson’s throne.
Over the years, six players have received the label and it’s safe to say that their journeys have been rather different.
As such, we’ll start with the first man who was dubbed the next Jonny Wilkinson.
1. Toby Flood
To make matters worse, Flood was coached by the England star as a schoolboy. He then emerged as a hot prospect at Newcastle Falcons, taking the number 10 shirt during one of Wilkinson’s long injury lay-offs before also breaking into the England set-up. This was always going to lead to lazy comparisons. Moving to Leicester in 2008 helped him forge his own identity, however, he never really escaped Wilkinson’s sizable shadow.
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