He plays his club rugby for Toulon following twelve seasons in the English Premiership for Newcastle Falcons. Wilkinson has also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, in 2001 and 2005, scoring 67 Test points in the 6 Lions test matches he has started. However, in 1997 he gave up the student life to become a professional rugby player with the Newcastle Falcons. He is often considered the best placekicker ever to live, a title shared with New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter. He is sometimes criticised as using this skill too often, instead of passing to his outside backs while at fly-half. Wilkinson started his career at Newcastle School of Rugby as an inside centre, competing for a place with international veterans such as Inga Tuigamala, and British Lion Alan Tait. Wilkinson became a fixture in the England team, and started in all their matches in the 1999 Five Nations.
