Is Owen Farrell better than Wilkinson?
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Owen Farrell will be playing in his second British and Irish Lions Tour in June and the 25-year-old flyhalf is fast on his way to becoming one of the best flyhalves that England has ever seen.
With his incredible achievements on the field, only Wilkinson stands in his way to the throne.
The 38-year-old Wilkinson is considered as one of the greatest players to ever grace the game and his impressive record speaks for itself, winning a Rugby World Cup, 2 Champions Cup and World Rugby Player of the Year to name a few.
Wilkinson made his international debut against Ireland in 1998 at the age of 19-years-old while Farrell made his debut at the of 20-years-old Scotland in 2012. Both players have been used at flyhalf and at centre throughout their respective careers.
Wilkinson epitomised the modern day flyhalf with the ability to create chances, tackle anything that came his way and seemed to keep his goal kicking percentage close on 80% throughout his career.
Farrell, on the other hand, might not be as naturally talented as Wilkinson but has worked hard on his game and has improved immensely on defence and attack since arriving on the international scene.
The 25-year-old has earned 53 test appearances and could easily make over 100 appearances in the years to come, a feat that Wilkinson did not achieve in his 17-year career as he retired with 91 test caps.
Wilkinson and Carter had a head-to-head battled throughout their careers to secure the title of the highest point scorer in test rugby, the Englishman ended his career in 2nd place to the All Black with 1 179 points - Farrell has 603 so far.
TC= Triple Crown GS = Grand Slam
So far, Wilkinson has the upper hand winning 3 more titles than Farrell, however, with youth on his side Farrell can easily surpass that total.
Farrell’s international career has coincided with a new era of England rugby dominance, that saw England equal New Zealand's 18 consecutive victories and claim 2 Six Nations in a row.
Farrell was also able to pick a British and Irish Lions victory in 2013, something that Wilkinson was not able to do on his tours to Australia and New Zealand going down 2-1 and 3-0 respectively.
The one thing that could define Farrell's career is whether he will be able to claim the ultimate prize in rugby and lift the William Webb Ellis Cup. With the Saracens winning back to back Champions Cup titles and a strong English squad headed by Eddie Jones, there is a strong possibility that Farrell and his teammates will be able to realise the dream of lifting the World Cup.
In the years to come, Owen Farrell will step out of Jonny Wilkinson’s shadow and become the greatest English flyhalf of all time.
