Jonny Wilkinson joins Sky Sports
The legendary England fly half joins the broadcaster's team of rugby analysts as rival BT Sport beefs up its domestic rugby coverage
England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson will be teeing off his punditry career with Sky Sports this October.
The World Cup-winning fly half will make his debut on the Sky Sports rugby union team this Saturday 18 October, covering Sale Sharks v Munster in the opening weekend of the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The news comes after rival broadcaster BT Sport revealed it was planning a bumper weekend of English club rugby union this Christmas, with four live matches broadcast between 19-21 December.
Wilkinson will analyse the games during this weekend's Rugby Champions Cup matches, before joining up will fellow England World Cup winner Will Greenwood and former head coach Sir Clive Woodward to cover England's Autumn Internationals.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have some incredible experiences on the rugby pitch. I’m excited about passing on my passion and sharing what I’ve learnt over the years with Sky Sports viewers and young people in the next chapter of my career," Wilkinson said. "I’ll be in impressive company as I join another successful team and I hope that I can play my part in the studio.”
Wilkinson as a player was often wary when it came to his media duties, but now he joins Sky's lineup as both analyst and ambassador for their grass-roots sports education campaign Living For Sport.
BT Sport recruited Irish rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll in the summer as an expert analyst; he will also be involved with covering the Rugby Champions Cup, a new tournament that takes over from the Heineken Cup as the major European tournament in rugby union.
