England

Wilkinson to retire from rugby

ESPN Staff

Jonny Wilkinson will play two more matches for Toulon and then retire © Getty Images Enlarge

Jonny Wilkinson has confirmed he will retire at the end of the season as he prepares to bring down the curtain on an incredible 17-year career.

Toulon still have two matches left in the season with the Heineken Cup final against Saracens on Saturday and then the Top 14 finale versus Castres on May 31. Wilkinson said, in a brief statement, he will retire at the end of the current campaign but he will leave various tributes and further comments until after their Top 14 match.

Jonny Wilkinson's international statistics England caps: 91

British and Irish Lions caps: 6

World Cup finals: 2

World Cup wins: 1

Test victories: 67

Total Test points: 1,246

Test tries: 7

Test conversions: 169

Test penalties: 255

Test drop goals: 36

Six Nations titles: 4 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2011)

Grand Slams: 1 (2003)

"I would like to take this opportunity to formally announce my retirement from playing rugby," Wilkinson said in a statement on Toulon's website. "It goes without saying that I have an enormous number of people to thank for their support from all around the world but especially here in France and in England.

"This however is not at all the time to be concentrating on this as I would like to focus all my attention and energy on the team and these final two games of the season. I sincerely thank you all for everything you have given me and for making these last seventeen years something I will never forget."

The announcement brings to an end a remarkable career and one which saw him slot the World Cup-winning drop-goal in 2003. In total, Wilkinson made 91 appearances for England and played in four World Cups. He also travelled with the British & Irish Lions in 2001 and 2005, making six Test appearances in the process.

At club level he played for 12 years at Newcastle Falcons and then moved to Toulon in 2009. At Toulon he helped guide the club to the Heineken Cup title in 2013 and will go for two more trophies at the end of the current season.

Rugby won't be the same without @JonnyWilkinson Changed the game. Changed way kids tackle! You will be missed. Pleasure to play with you. — Tom May (@TomMay1) May 19, 2014

Wilkinson will now embark on the next stage in his career and he is widely expected to head into coaching. "My role is developing," Wilkinson said back in February. "I now spend most of the week in training, helping my team-mates approach the game differently. I've accepted that for a long time, but that doesn't change the fact that, deep down, I cannot stop competing."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd