If the image that flitted through Jonny Wilkinson’s mind yesterday comes to fruition, England are due for a good year.

Returning to an England squad for the first time since March 2008, the Toulon fly half was reminded of staying in the same hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, in 2003, the year he contributed so signally to England’s World Cup triumph over Australia.

Then he was one of the linchpins of the side led by Martin Johnson. Now, approaching his 71st cap, he is preparing yet again to play Australia — at Twickenham on November 7, the first match of the Investec Challenge Series — as one of the linchpins of a side managed by Johnson. “It’s been six years since I was alongside Martin in an environment like this,” he said. “It has been a funny six years but it does allow me a bit of perspective, some understanding of how unlucky some guys have been.”

Times without number, Wilkinson has been the player forced by injury to withdraw from England contention, and from the England captaincy. Now the same fate has overcome so many others, 12 from Johnson’s original senior squad of 32 and 13 of the second-tier team, the Saxons.

No wonder, then, that Johnson, notoriously reluctant to talk about individuals, acknowledged the advantages of Wilkinson’s return. “You always miss world-class players when they’re not there,” he said. “Toby Flood, Andy Goode, Danny Cipriani, too, did very well last season but it’s what people are.”

That is to say, a World Cup winner, scorer of the world record number of international points and an invaluable cog in a back division that will otherwise be incredibly raw.

“I viewed Mike Catt as old when he was 28,” Wilkinson, 30, said. “I don’t see myself as an older player, I don’t mind if others do. I enjoyed the experience that Catt, Matt Dawson, Kyran Bracken brought but they were doing it for their clubs every week, and that’s what is good about being involved in a squad like this.

“You have guys who are taking huge responsibility week in, week out in their team’s direction, they’re taking that pressure and it builds enormous character. You can see it in the way people train, the confidence in the way they hold themselves.”

It is more than likely that Wilkinson will have Danny Care, 22 and with seven starts to his credit, as his scrum half against Australia. Care was nursing a cracked bone in the small finger of his left hand yesterday, the result of a training accident, but both he and his manager are confident of his availability. On his other side, Wilkinson will probably have Shane Geraghty, 23 and with no starts at all since his three caps have come as a replacement.

Starting young talent has never been a problem for Australia, although the Wallabies have had their share of misfortune this week with the withdrawal of Berrick Barnes, their vice-captain, from the side that will play New Zealand in Tokyo tomorrow. Barnes has damaged the ligaments of his left ankle and his participation in the European leg of Australia’s tour has yet to be confirmed, but England will concentrate on themselves in a fortnight of preparation that Johnson admitted was invaluable.

“The environment created here is hugely challenging,” Wilkinson said, with barely a hint of understatement. “More than anything it’s massively supportive, it provides guys with a good springboard to show what they’re capable of.”

Johnson said that, regardless of as bad a run of injuries as he can remember, England will not opt for conservative rugby. He does not want his team accused of predictable play, instead he seeks balance and Wilkinson will help him to find it.