You do not need to be an old romantic to be keeping half an eye on a fixture in the South of France this afternoon. And your fingers crossed. For there is only one more game to go, and if Jonny Wilkinson comes through in one piece for Toulon against Bourgoin, then he surely has an England career again. The Third Coming is upon us and, he says, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

This is the crucial quote that England fans may want to read and then read again: “People ask me, ‘Will you ever be like you were in 2003?’ The answer is, ‘I am way better now.’ ” And remember, that comes from an athlete who has taken modesty to new levels.

In this interview, he has the usual idiosyncratic problems he faces when talking about England: everything is hypothetical, he repeats, he has to get through today, he has to get through a fortnight’s training with England, and then he has to be selected. “But if it happens, it will be absolutely amazing,” he said.

Does his mind not wander to next week, the England camp and Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey? “A little bit,” he said. “That’s natural, but something about me just knocks it straight back.”

He is not the only one thinking this way. His father, Phil, who has helped to manage his career, is in Toulon, hoping to see him safely on to a plane back to England tomorrow.

“From a parental point of view there’s a bit of a selfish streak in that I’d love to see him run out at least one more time at Twickenham,” he said. “I don’t think his time is finished yet.”

Neither father nor son will dare to look too far ahead, but Australia — November 7, Twickenham — is preposterously close. Wilkinson’s initial England career, as we know too well, was phenomenally successful, he then missed three years and made it back for the 2007 World Cup before injury engulfed him once more. There were not many who believed that we would see Wilkinson Mark Two let alone Mark Three.

Phil became inured to the doubters, to the question: “Is he ever going to play again?” “I did speak to Jonny after the [latest] knee injury and raised the question, ‘Are you OK? Is this going to be the end?’ ” he said. “I think I probably did that with his neck injury as well.

“You have to ask the question because at some stage the answer probably is going to be yes. But we always knew he would get back.”

But his son would hate us to welcome him back to the international fold feeling that this is a story about nostalgia and the old days. Neither does he want to prove anything about the present; the old obligation to deliver proof of his worth is one that he has driven clean from his system. It is all comparatively simple now; he just wants to go out and play, and to do so better than before.

His self-belief has good grounds. This is Phil’s take on his game: “Because he hasn’t played a lot for the last four years, he hasn’t been smashed around. He’s 30, but in extremely good nick at the moment.”

And this is Dave Alred, his kicking coach for his entire career, who was working with him again in Toulon in midweek: “He had to learn to re-use the [injured] knee so we have been building from square one since coming back from injury again. Basically, we were able to start again so a lot has dramatically changed. I am absolutely convinced that the best is yet to come.”

And this is Wilkinson’s take on the matter: “If you could transport the me now straight into the situations of 2001/2003, what would I have done? I think the me now would have been handy. I am undoubtedly better. There is no way that the 2001 version would have been able to deal with the 2007 World Cup experience. I don’t know how I would have dealt with it. I wouldn’t have had the intelligence or the experience.

“I was suited to 2001 or 2003 because I was surrounded by people like Mike Catt, [Kyran] Bracken or [Matt] Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Will Greenwood, Martin Johnson, pillars all around me. I was doing things because I was getting a load of help from them. But that person in 2007, or here in France? Not a chance. I am way better now because I understand what is going on.

“Back then it was like a headache trying to work out 100 things at once. It is almost like you are dissecting and composing, all the time. That much mental strain with the pressure of playing at a high level when I was young, without all that help, wouldn’t have combined. Now I am processing it without too much effort. That is why, if asked if I will ever be back to where I was in 2003, if the exact same situations ever played out, I think I would go all right.”

He does, though, look back on the early Wilkinson Mark One with affection. It was a full decade ago that he was regularly starting at No 10 for England. “Sure enough, back then I thought I had everything,” he said. “But now you think, ‘Crikey’, and you give yourself a pat on the back and think, ‘How did you get through all that with what little you had?’ ”

But he also envies the boy he once was. “When you start out, you are at the bottom of the mountain,” he said. “People talk about it being such a big thing to deal with, but actually all you can see is up and life is pretty simple.

“Going into an England game, the deeper implications of it all don’t exist. The longer you can hold on to that, the better, but as you go along, you start to be consumed by what it is you do. When you are intense and proud about what you are trying to do, there is no way you can avoid getting dragged into the battle of: what do people think? And thinking that matters.”

The uncomplicated confidence of youth, the lack of self-awareness — he knows that he parted company with it all unfeasibly early. “Yes, I would like to have held on to it,” he said. “But I would never have been able to hold on to it very long. You have to be so at peace with yourself mentally not to be dragged into that game.”

Back in those early days, the evening before an international would be spent at the cinema, often with Richard Hill, and he laughs at how he ever had the composure to be able to relax so completely so close to kick-off. Because pretty soon he was becoming reclusive and “by 2003, I felt the safest thing to do was to stay away from everyone”.

Jonny Mark Three has a little of the very early Mark One. “I am now actually able to control the urge of wondering what people think of you,” he said.

He still sees himself climbing that mountain, but now “I feel I have got safety ropes. And I am not any longer thinking, ‘Where am I on the mountain compared to others?’ Or, ‘Was I good enough?’ ”

This maturity of thinking was useful for Mark Two, because though his previous comeback took in 2007 and a second World Cup final, it ended in March 2008 when his place at No 10 was taken by Danny Cipriani. “A bit of me did get stuck on that,” he said. “But I had come so far that I was able to deal with it and move on.”

At the time, Cipriani for Wilkinson seemed like a selection decision to shape the future. Did he worry that this was how his England career would be drawn to a close? “No, not at all,” Wilkinson said. “The thought doesn’t figure. Though several years ago, it would have been a huge crease I’d have needed to iron out.”

For Phil, the end of rugby came aged 42, playing for Alton second XV, when his back suddenly went. He says he would like his son to be able to orchestrate his own end better than that, but the point is that we are not talking about the end any more, we are talking about a brand new start.

“All the possibilities still remain,” Wilkinson said. Get through today and maybe they will.

I try to capture Jonny’s personality

Behind the picture Shelley Jenkins

I’ve always liked looking at photographs, especially of the natural world, but it wasn't until I met Marc Aspland, who has taken loads of pictures of Jonny for The Times, that I realised how amazing the camera can be. He showed me some great techniques and shared plenty of helpful advice. Now I understand that it’s all out there, you just have to see it.

When I see a photograph of Jonny I think I can normally tell whether he is relaxed or not. When I take a picture of him I try to capture parts of his personality as well as the surrounding environment. I like the picture to be more than just a narrow crop of his face, a narrow vision; I personally prefer a wider view because he tries hard to see the bigger picture.

I had a laugh taking these pictures with him because it was kind of serious — it was interesting to see him at work and I was effectively working with him. He was very patient because I made a few mistakes and wanted to take my time to get it right.

We took them in the early evening and as the light fades fast in the South of France, we had to use the flash to enhance it. For the portraits, we used the available light.

I’m delighted with the results.

• Shelley Jenkins is the girlfriend of Jonny Wilkinson.

Pain games that have delayed return of World Cup hero

March 15, 2008 England 33 Ireland 10. Danny Cipriani is chosen at fly half ahead of Wilkinson, the first time the World Cup-winning fly half has been dropped since 1999. Cipriani has a stormer. Wilkinson comes on in the 53rd minute for his 70th and most recent England cap.

May Wilkinson is forced to miss England’s summer tour to New Zealand to undergo surgery to his right shoulder.

September 14 Back starting for Newcastle Falcons against Northampton, kicks five penalties, two conversions and a dropped goal. He follows this with impressive games against Saracens and Bristol.

September 30 Dislocates left knee in first half against Gloucester, top right. Misses autumn internationals.

January 2009 Travels to Vermont for specialist rehabilitation treatment on the knee. Hopes to be fit by the end of the RBS Six Nations Championship.

March Complications with knee rule out any return for England or Newcastle. Misses Lions selection.

May Leaves Newcastle and signs for Toulon.

August 14 Makes competitive debut for Toulon against Stade Français, scores 17 points in a 22-22 draw, bottom right.

October 24 Still fit, selected for Toulon versus Bourgoin, his ninth start of the season. He has been rested for two games and played as a replacement in one. This is his last match before the autumn internationals.