Deep down inside there’s a part of me that regrets not being a rugby fan. From the outside looking in it seems like a fantastic sport, with plenty of drama and action on the pitch and spectators whose passion for the game is immense.

When any legend retires from any international sport it’s always a bit of a sad day- James Calvert

God knows I’ve tried to get into it. I’ve watched it on telly, I’ve been to local matches and I’ve even tried studying the rules online to give me a better understanding of just what the devil is happening on the pitch.

Sadly, however, it just hasn’t happened for me. Possibly that makes me less of a man, but so be it. Having been brought up on an exclusive diet of football, rugby just doesn’t tickle the taste buds in quite the same way.

However, despite my limited knowledge of the game, I do know enough to understand the significance of last week’s international retirement of Jonny Wilkinson.

The 32-year-old fly-half called time on his England career after racking up 91 caps as well as making six appearances for the British and Irish Lions.

That may not sound like a huge amount for someone who made his debut for his country at the age of 18. But you have to take into consideration that his career was plagued by injuries – some of them serious.

In fact, on numerous occasions there were serious doubts as to whether he would even be able to play again. But each and every time, showing immense determination and willpower, he fought his way back to full fitness and regained his spot in the England team.

All in all, Wilkinson missed more than four years of international rugby – more than a quarter of his entire career. Had that not happened, then it’s fairly safe to say he could have added another 30 or 40 caps to his total.

In Wilkinson’s case, however, what he may have missed out in quantity he more than made up for in quality.

Just look at what he achieved in those 91 caps: six tries, 162 conversions, 239 penalties and a record 36 drop-goals. Impressive reading even for those who, like me, don’t know the full ins and outs of the sport.

His total of 277 points scored at rugby world cups is an impressive 50 points more than his nearest rival, while his overall total of 1,246 points is the second highest in the history of the sport, just four behind first place.

Undoubtedly though, the highlight of Wilkinson’s career was in 2003 World Cup final against Australia when, in the dying seconds of extra time, he kicked the winning drop-goal.

I remember watching that live, as it was during one of those periods where I was trying to get into the sport. In fact, it was probably the first full rugby match I had ever watched, and what a game to start off with.

Sadly it didn’t kick-start any sort of love affair with the game, but it did, at least, ensure I always kept one eye on Wilkinson throughout the rest of his international career.

From that point on he became something of a celebrity – rugby’s answer to David Beckham in many respects. However, unlike some of his counterparts in football, the fame and celebrity never went to his head, and actually getting on the pitch and play-ing rugby remained his overwhelming priority.

When any legend retires from any international sport it’s always a bit of a sad day. When that legend happens to be my only real link with the sport in question, it somehow feels even more poignant.

Jonny Wilkinson, I salute you.

Country before club

Last Wednesday night young goalkeeper Neil Etheridge made his debut for Fulham, replacing the injured Mark Schwarzer in the starting line-up for their Europa League match with Odense.

Nothing remarkable there really considering the lad is still 21 and keepers tend to be older than outfield players when it comes to getting a first team opportunity.

The interesting thing about it, though, was that it was the first time Etheridge had played a professional match for a football club. Yet, ironically, he already has 28 caps for his national team.

Etheridge has been with Fulham since 2008 but never got on the pitch until Wednesday. During that time he was loaned out to Charlton but never got on the pitch there either.

However, despite having played for the England under-16s as a youngster, he is also eligible for the Philippines through his mother and is now their regular first choice goalkeeper, and has been for a while.

Playing for your country before your club might not be the traditional way of going about things, but it doesn’t seem to have done Etheridge any harm.

I get the feeling he could be one to watch in the future…

Wager go

I’ve been trying for a couple of weeks now but I still can’t get that Maltese chap who won €683,739 out of my head.

In case you missed it, and I’m sure you didn’t, a 41-year-old man scooped that staggering amount in winnings after correctly guessing no less than 19 results in an accumulator bet. His original stake? A single euro.

That means the odds against him guessing all those results correctly was, obviously, 683,739 to 1.

And those figures, as anyone who has ever had the tiniest of flutters on football will tell you, are quite mind-bogglingly large. I mean, can you imagine what he must have felt like when the first 18 of his predictions came true and it all came down to that last match between Chelsea and Liverpool?

I’m fairly sure it gave a whole new meaning to Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous saying “squeaky bum time”.

And to make matters worse, Glen Johnson’s winner for Liverpool didn’t come until the 87th minute.

I’m fairly sure I would have already passed out by that point. In fact, I would probably have been struggling to remain conscious from result 10 onwards.

The most sensible idea I have heard from anyone was a friend who suggested that if he had been in that position going into the final match, he would have put a couple of hundred thousand euros on Chelsea to win or draw. That way, whatever the outcome, you would be certain to at least win something.

An astute plan with the only obvious drawback being that most people – and I suspect this winner was just one of us regular chaps until a couple of weeks ago – don’t have a couple of hundred thousand euros lying around.

Of course, there is always the possibility that the guy didn’t even know he was about to win. Maybe he placed the bet and forgot about it until he checked his online account balance.

Whatever happened I can’t help but feel happy for the man. What a great way to win a life-changing amount of money. And for such a tiny stake too.

If you fancy getting in touch to tell me how you picked the winners mate, please feel free. With my track record of predicting football matches I need all the help I can get…

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade