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Johnson dismisses Wilkinson criticism

Jonny Wilkinson had a mixed game in Rome © Getty Images

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England manager Martin Johnson has spoken out in support of under-pressure fly-half Jonny Wilkinson following their scrappy victory over Italy in Rome.

England came away with a 17-12 victory but Wilkinson uncharacteristically missed several shots at goal and struggled to dominate the game tactically.

Speculation has increased that Wilkinson's place in the side will come under pressure from Leicester's Toby Flood ahead of their vital meeting with Ireland at Twickenham on February 27, but Johnson believes that the criticism is unwarranted.

"I don't agree with the criticism. Jonny missed a few kicks and suddenly everyone is calling for his head, which I find pretty disappointing and surprising," Johnson said. "No-one is undroppable, no-one ever has been. But is it Jonny's fault we didn't convert our line breaks? No, it's a team thing.

"It has become the vogue to have a pop at Jonny. It is not always right or fair and I think some people are using it for their own agenda but that is the world we live in."

Wilkinson's game management has come into focus following England's stuttering display and while Johnson acknowledges that other members of the squad may offer a better option in that aspect of the game, he is principally concerned with safeguarding the balance of the team.

"You have players who are not in the team who are potentially better at some areas of the game than guys that are in the team. You have to weigh up that overall impact," he said. "I think Toby has been playing well. We have good depth in that position. We are lucky to have two world-class players at 10."

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