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Jonny Wilkinson close to calling time

ESPN Staff

Jonny Wilkinson ... still giving his all for Toulon © Getty Images Enlarge

Jonny Wilkinson will retire at the end of the season, according to a report in the Rugby Paper which quotes a source close to Leigh Halfpenny who joins Toulon next season.

"Jonny is finishing," the unnamed source told the paper. "He'll be calling it a day once the season is over and after that he'll be helping Halfpenny settle in. Leigh's always willing to learn and having Jonny as his mentor will make him even better."

In February, Wilkinson admitted that he was taking things a game at a time. "Some weeks I walk off the field and think: 'God, I'm useless'. One thing I don't want to do is put myself in a position where the desire and the enjoyment is no longer there. That is hugely unfair to whoever I'm playing with. It's a day-by-day thing.

"My role is developing."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."

The report claims that Toulon are keen that the 34-year-old Wilkinson remains in a dual capacity as kicking coach and club ambassador.

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