FOR all the considerable achievements he racked up during his illustrious career, Jonny Wilkinson will always be remembered for that drop goal.

The final stats will show that Surrey-born Wilkinson won 91 England caps, plus six for the British and Irish Lions, scoring 1,246 Test points, including a record 36 drop goals and the most points accumulated by a player at World Cups with 277.

But mention the name Jonny Wilkinson to any casual observer and they will only recall one of those 36 drop goals.

That glorious swing of his less-favoured right boot in Sydney on November 22, 2003, sealed World Cup glory and one of the greatest successes in the history of English sport, with only the efforts of the 1966 World Cup winners able to match the lofty heights Wilkinson and his team-mates now hold in the public consciousness.

At the time Wilkinson was without question the best fly-half in the global game, maybe even the best player on the planet, but that night in Sydney was to prove to be one of the last occasions when he was able to genuinely showcase the undoubted world class talents that made him a superstar.

Those talents had been clear to see from the moment he emerged at Newcastle during their 1997-98 Premiership title success but injuries arguably robbed Wilkinson of what could have been his best years as an international player.

It is tremendously unfortunate that a man who gave so very much, not just to England but to the game as a whole, should bow out on the back of England’s most shambolic attempt at lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy.

There can be no denying that Wilkinson deserved a better send-off.