Hodgson backed by the expert

Six Nations: Jonny Wilkinson has given his backing to Charlie Hodgson following widespread criticism of the current England outhalf's poor goalkicking in Sunday's 18-17 defeat by France.

Hodgson missed three of his four penalty attempts and was horribly wide with a straightforward late drop goal. He slotted one penalty and two under-the-posts conversions, while centre Olly Barkley also missed three long-range penalty attempts.

Hodgson also missed important kicks in the defeats against Wales and Australia, but England's injured World Cup-winning outhalf Wilkinson was happy to defend the man keeping the number 10 shirt warm in his absence.

"Charlie Hodgson had six place-kicks at goal and hit five of them perfectly, so the reaction he has had to face, while predictable, has been blown out of all proportion," he said in yesterday's Times.

"It's easy enough to say that France kicked six goals while England missed six, but it's far more than just the goalkicking that wins or loses games.

"You have to look at the different phases of play, where and why the penalties were conceded, the various decisions made that affect the balance of a game and also take into account the other parts of Charlie's game, which were working very well.

"Three of his six goalkicks went over, three did not, on a blustery day that affected the flight of the ball. As it reaches the top of its flight the wind can catch it, particularly at the south end of Twickenham, which is more open.

"Charlie had been kicking exceptionally well during what had been an exceedingly hard week's preparation for the game. He has to take it on the chin and move on, as do the whole squad.

"Having said that, it's important to acknowledge just how well Dimitri Yachvili did in kicking all of France's points - it was a hell of a day on which to kick and he was exceptional."

Yachvili kicked six of his eight penalties, falling just inches short with another from the halfway line, to hand England their third successive defeat.

England next face Ireland in Lansdowne Road before home games against Italy and Scotland. But Wilkinson, whose last international appearance was the 2003 World Cup final, is unlikely to take part in any of them.

"It's five weeks since the ligament damage to my left knee that I suffered playing for Newcastle Falcons against Perpignan and things have gone well, but we are now arriving at the sport-specific stuff, which is the hardest part - the kicking, the running off-line, the agility work," he said.