Worried Wilko still fears a kicking lottery

It is worrying news for England as the fly half made his admission after being given special dispensation to practise with the controversial Gilbert model for the first time in the tournament.

Hard knocks: Jonny Wilkinson has found his kicking duties more difficult than normal

England demanded they be made available following serious concerns fuelled by nine missed kicks in the World Cup by the normally deadly accurate Wilkinson.

Problems with over-inflation of the balls have been pinpointed as the major reason for inconsistent flight and England insisted they needed to get used to those being used in the semi-finals.

Although World Cup organisers relented and allowed Wilkinson, during training today, to kick the same six match balls that will be used against France, the fly half admitted he is still not sure about them.

He said: "We've had a good opportunity to see the six balls in action and it's a case of just trying to get used to them.

"It's important for the kickers because you want to be in as much control as you can. However, it's impossible to tell how it will go. I have no idea what happens after the ball leaves my foot. I can only go on how the ball feels coming off my foot. A few kicks have surprised me by going wide but a few others have surprised me because they went over in this tournament.

"The bottom line is I know how to kick and it's a question of understanding where the fault lies. I am quite happy to come off and take the blame myself but there have been times when I've been left at a loose end in this tournament.

"It's a topic that's been brought up and has now been addressed. What I can tell you is that every day I have left the training pitch I have been happy with my kicking."

Wilkinson is now trying to focus on Saturday's match and the challenge posed by a side buoyant after their stunning win over New Zealand.

"We are now playing a French team that is in as good a shape as any I have ever seen," said Wilkinson. "I have been through the mill mentally so much in the last four years and I can tell you that last Saturday sitting in the changing room before we played Australia I was thinking how great it was to be involved.

"I have probably never been so nervous in my life. But I loved it."

Centre Mike Catt is now urging his side to build on their win over the Wallabies.

"We have got a little bit of momentum now as a group, and we must take it to the next level," he said. "We always knew it was going to be a tough road, and I like the way we've turned it all around from that South Africa game.

"As a group of players, we've always believed we have got something inside us. It is how we actually put it in place out on the pitch. Against South Africa that didn't happen, but against Samoa, Tonga and Australia we have progressed radically, compared to what we were before. We're going in the right direction."