Wynne Gray: Wilkinson fails to show his cutting edge

Two years ago, at the same Wellington ground but in much more treacherous conditions, Jonny Wilkinson kicked England to victory against the All Blacks. He then continued that form through the World Cup.

Three weeks ago he kicked the Lions to a face-saving draw against the pensioner Pumas. And he was asked to rescue the Lions again last night in his first tour game at the Cake Tin.

Wilkinson's kicking was a not-so-deadly five out of seven. But without it, the Lions would have been under the cosh far more as they struggled to victory.

The remarkable 26-year-old has been touted as far more than a kicking machine, a more rounded player than the one who practises his kicking several hours before each game.

His work in New Zealand and Australia two years ago confirmed that all-round class.

But not last night. Some of his kicking for position was aimless, his tackling mixed, and his passing had several team-mates earmarked for Wellington Hospital's casualty ward.

Wilkinson confirmed he was short of matchplay, an unsurprising conclusion given his medical history and the lack of chances afforded by the distended tour squad.

The interest now is whether Woodward considers Wilkinson his prime test five-eighths and places him in cotton wool or whether the coach makes Wilkinson play again to earn test selection.

On the evidence of this Lions tour, Charlie Hodgson has been the best overall performer in the No 10 jersey. But in Woodward's mind, he will be rated below Wilkinson and Stephen Jones.

The tour had not been derailed with the weekend loss to the NZ Maori but the squad had gone into a siding. Momentum had to be regained and Woodward was able to call on the Power of Four - Wilkinson, Gareth Thomas, Jason Robinson and Neil Back.

The last three had been unavailable until last night, club and family obligations and suspension keeping them out. Wilkinson had been waiting.

As someone known for his angst, Wilkinson's review of his own performance would have kept several psychoanalysts in work.

The five-eighths never took the game by the throat; his direction was not vivid enough; he looked well short of the sharpness needed for a test series against the All Blacks. Wilkinson needs more than one game to regain his international warrant of fitness.

He passed three times as much as he kicked, he had oodles of possession from snappy halfback Dwayne Peel and the Lions pack. But much of his passing was lateral or placed his colleagues under pressure while some of his kicking in general play was mysteriously purposeless.

He ran just once and his defence was a mix of scrag, hang and clutch.

It was an area of his game pinpointed recently as a weakness by David Ellis, a defence coach in England and France who has been hired by the All Blacks for help during the Lions tour.

Ellis considered Wilkinson to be a shade susceptible on the tackle after the serial surgery he has needed on his neck, shoulder and bicep. Ma'a Nonu, Joe McDonnell and Roy Kinikinilau last night were able to break past some of Wilkinson's more ineffectual efforts.

That five-eighths channel for the Lions has not been their strongest defensive area on tour, something which will not have escaped the All Blacks intelligence.

Finally, after 62 minutes, Wilkinson moved out to second five-eighths to accommodate the arrival of Jones and the departure of Gavin Henson.

Surely it is not a pointer to any test thinking. It did suggest a small points victory, though, for local man Jimmy Gopperth, the almost unwanted Hurricane who became a star of the Super 12.