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England football manager likens striker to 'Jonny Wilkinson'

Jonny Willkinson

England football manager Gareth Southgate has likened striker Harry Kane to England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson.

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England beat Columbia to make it through to the quarterfinals of Football World Cup in Russia this week.

Southgate saw similarities between the way Kane handled himself under pressure and the England great. He believes Kane’s ‘mentality’ mimicked that of Wilkinson, who famously kicked England to glory at the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

“It was three-and-a-half minutes from the penalty being given to when Colombia eventually left him alone,” Southgate told reporters. “I knew he was fine when he picked the ball up for the fourth time. He reset himself… much like you see Jonny Wilkinson [do] – he has that mentality and calibre.”

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Kane would have been just 10 years old when England won the oval ball version of the World Cup in 2003.

Ironically in March, Jonny Wilkinson and Harry Kane appeared in a BBC Sport’s Relief sketch in which former Toulon flyhalf taught Kane how to take a ‘proper penalty’.

Wilkinson also famously took part in an Adidas ad with David Beckham in which they gave each other tips on how to best handle each other’s balls.

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Wilkinson was immediately better at football than Beckham, showing the then Manchester United midfielder up dreadfully.

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M
MA 3 hours ago
How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions

In regards to Mack Hansen, Tuipoloto and others who talent wasnt 'seen'..

If we look at acting, soccer and cricket as examples, Hugh Jackman, the Heminsworths in acting; Keith Urban in Nashville, Mike Hussey and various cricketers who played in UK and made the Australian team; and many soccer players playing overseas.


My opinion is that perhaps the ' 'potential' or latent talent is there, but it's just below the surface.


ANd that decision, as made by Tane Edmed, Noah, Will Skelton to go overseas is the catalyst to activate the latent and bring it to the surface.


Based on my personal experience of leaving Oz and spending 14 months o/s, I was fully away from home and all usual support systems and past memories that reminded me of the past.


Ooverseas, they weren't there. I had t o survive, I could invent myself as who I wanted, and there was no one to blame but me.


It bought me alive, focused my efforts towards what I wanted and people largely accepted me for who I was and how I turned up.


So my suggestion is to make overseas scholarships for younger players and older too so they can benefit from the value offered by overseas coaching acumen, established systems, higher intensity competition which like the pressure that turns coal into diamonds, can produce more Skeltons, Arnold's, Kellaways and the like.


After the Lion's tour say, create 20 x $10,000 scholarships for players to travel and play overseas.


Set up a HECS style arrangement if necessary to recycle these funds ongoingly.


Ooverseas travel, like parenthood or difficult life situations brings out people's physical and emotional strengths in my own experiences, let's use it in rugby.

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