Wilkinson Hires Alred for Private Tuition

Jonny Wilkinson stepped up his Six Nations preparations yesterday by hiring England's discarded coach Dave Alred for a private kicking tutorial. The pair have continued to operate in tandem despite the Rugby Football Union's decision in 2006 to dispense with Alred's services and employ Jon Callard as their kicking guru. Wilkinson, who is within 66 points of breaking Neil Jenkins' record tally of 1,090 points in international rugby, insisted he still needs Alred's input to enable him to kick to the necessary level in the forthcoming championship. "I owe a huge amount to Dave Alred," he stressed yesterday. "I speak to him on the phone as I've done ever since I was 16. I see him when I feel it's right. Dave's the guy who's taught me to kick from a young age. It's important I maintain that relationship." The fly-half, who will be winning his 66th cap this weekend, is also looking for a reshuffled England side to make a fresh start against Wales. "It is important to carry on from the momentum of the World Cup but you have to look ahead. You have to start again and develop new players who can lead the country to the next big thing." The assistant coach, John Wells has warned England to expect a muscular challenge from Wales. "It's going to be a very physical and challenging environment for both teams. It'll be confrontational."