I could play on for one more year, says Jonny Wilkinson

Toulon have been busy lining up replacements for England’s World Cup winning fly-half, with Leicester‘s Toby Flood and Cardiff Blues‘ Leigh Halfpenny, both deep in contract talks.
But after Toulon‘s 32-20 win over Exeter Chiefs Wilkinson, 34, confirmed he has not ruled out signing for another season at the club.
“Yes, I’m contemplating it every day, every week, every match – but I’m keeping it very simple. It’s not just about me, it’s about other people as well, and what is in the best interests of this club.”
The passionate Stade Mayol crowd  chanted: “We want Jonny!” after his late try.
And  Toulon coach Bernard Laporte said he was extremely keen for Wilkinson to sign a new contract, rather than see him put his feet up on the retirement sun-lounger in the Mediterranean.
“I want Jonny to play all the time — he’s unique,” Laporte said.
He added: “But only Jonny is able to say whether he will play one more year. He’s a professional guy, he’s intelligent, and  we  are  not pressuring him. We’ll wait.”
Laporte confirmed that Toulon are trying to cover all their bases and that they have been in contact with Wales full-back  Halfpenny and Tigers‘ fly-half  Flood.
Laporte said: “We have been in contact with Leigh Halfpenny, but we have not signed him, and we speak about Toby Flood – but in France you can only have 16 foreigners at a club, so we cannot take them all. We have to see whether or not Jonny stays.”
Mourad Boudjellal, whose money has converted Toulon into champions of Europe, says it will take two players to replace Wilkinson should he retire.
“We will have to replace Jonny with two players – a play-maker and a kicker with a 90 per cent success rate like Jonny,” Boudjellal said. “To find all that in one player is difficult so we’ll have to find it in two.
“If his body says ‘stop,’ Jonny will finish his career at the end of the season.   Right now, he doesn’t know.  Everything depends on the next six months. Having one day to replace Jonny Wilkinson is the kind of thing that falls on you once in one hundred years.”
Halfpenny’s insistence on being released for all Wales’ internationals and training camps will force Toulon to reconsider whether £500,000-a-year represents value for money for a player who will miss more than a third of the 26-match Top 14 season.
Cardiff Blues say they will “fight to the death” to keep Halfpenny and Sam Warburton despite the midweek deadline set by the Lions captain passing without an improved bid.
“We have made offers to both players but the numbers are not enough,” Blues chairman Peter Thomas said. “That’s why we are talking to the Union. For everyone’s sake, everything must come to a head in the next few weeks.’
NICK CAIN
*Additional reporting by Peter Jackson