Lewis Ludlam will again think of Jonny Wilkinson when Toulon go in search of a first Investec Champions Cup semi-final since they were last kings of Europe.
Wilkinson has been Ludlam’s guiding light in rugby – inspiring him as a kid to take up the game, then as a Premiership winner to track his path to France and play for the team the fly-half great turned into champions.
“You want to follow in the footsteps of your heroes and to wear the shirt Jonny wore means a huge amount,” he says.
Toulon v Toulouse
On Sunday Les Rouge et Noir face holders Toulouse in the last and, arguably, pick of the quarter-finals. A big part of Ludlam’s motivation is living up to the standards set by the man with the golden boot.
“Jonny is a god here,” says Ludlam of Wilkinson, who captained Toulon to back-to-back European crowns and a Top 14 title during an unforgettable spell at Mayol.
“He’s like the lost Jedi. No-one knows where he is now but everyone tells tales about him. This mystical creature.
“The moment I tell anyone I’m English they mention Jonny. For those who played with him, for the staff who worked with him, for the fans who adored him, he’s held in the highest regard.”
In five years at the club Wilkinson missed 15 kicks at goal – a staggering 95.7 per cent success rate. Unsurprisingly, he remains Toulon’s record points scorer.
“He drove standards, set an unbelievably high bar,” Ludlam continues. “The moment you step in the door here you are made aware that this is a place where winners have played.
“That is the expectation. And if you’re not winning here then, effectively, you’re no good.”
Ludlam has relished the challenge of helping restore Toulon to their ‘Wilkinson level’. There is some way still to go but the club is firmly on the up.
They lie third in the Top 14, 10 points clear of fourth place, seven off top spot. Last weekend they stuck 72 points on Saracens in Europe.
Toulouse might have beaten them easily on their own pitch in October but Toulon have won every game this season at Mayol.
“I get the impression the Champions Cup means more to Toulon than any other Top 14 club, bar possibly Toulouse, because of our history with it,” Ludlam says.
“As a kid watching YouTube I watched the likes of Jonny, Sonny Bill, Cheslin [Kolbe], Delon and Steffon Armitage, Ma’a Nonu… who’s back playing for us! Knowing they pulled on the same jersey I am now is just unbelievable.
“It’s an all stars club. Look at every squad in the last 15 years and there are superstars everywhere. There is heaps of inspiration to draw on.
“Northampton has a rich history and playing there for me was a dream. To now be at a club with so many world class names in every single squad is crazy.”
Ludlam must wait to learn his level of involvement this weekend but cannot wait for what promises to be one of the season’s great rugby occasions.
When Planet Rugby last caught up with him he explained that what attracted him to the sport in the first place, other than Wilkinson’s World Cup final drop goal winner, was that playing the game made him feel like “a gladiator walking into the coliseum”.
Pilou-Pilou war cry
Nowhere is that more true than at Toulon where the players’ walk through a tunnel of fanatical supporters into the stadium and then listen as the crowd join in with the pre-match Pilou-Pilou war cry.
“The crowd are passionate, edgy at times,” Ludlam says. “To have the chance to play in front of that every week has been honestly unbelievable.
“Different to Northampton, which feels like a family club, feels like everyone is behind you. Toulon has a different edge about it.
“When you’re winning here it feels like you’ve won the league every week. And when you’re not it’s the complete opposite. They’ll let you know about that as well. But I’m absolutely loving it.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/hes-like-the-lost-jedi-why-god-jonny-wilkinson-is-still-inspiring-toulon-as-they-prepare-for-toulouse-showdown
