My Achilles Heel - Jonny Wilkinson Groggs - By Rob Van Der Steen

Achilles was a character from Greek Mythology. it was foretold that he would suffer at the hands of death at a young age. To attempt to counter this prophecy, Thetis the Mother of Achillies took him to the river Styx which was rumoured to hold powers of invulnerability. However, Achillies was not fully submerged in the water as he was being held by his ankle. Achillies grew up to become a mighty warrior who fought in many great battles, however on one fateful day Achillies was shot through his heel by a poisonous arrow which eventually took his life.

The term "Achilles Heel" has now become synonymous with an area of weakness or vulnerability. For me the Jonny Wilkinson miniature is my Achilles Heel.

Since I have been collecting Groggs I have owned the Wilkinson mini a total of 3 times. 'Why?' you may ask... well for me it is just a Grogg that I miss each time I've sold it, he is also one of my favourite players and happened to score the winning drop goal to win England the 2003 World Cup.

I initially purchased this Grogg around 2003, the iconic kicking pose of Jonny was captured fantastically by Richard Hughes and being a poor student this was an affordable acquisition for me. However a few years later I sold this Grogg, the reason being I had purchased the 9" version of Mr Wilkinson and no longer had the desire to have minis in my collection.

For years and years this Grogg was rarely seen in online auctions, then all of a sudden one appeared. A fellow collector friend of mine was selling his online, it achieved a fantastic price in the region of £130 (a bit too rich for my blood at that stage) but it peaked my interest and made me want him back in my collection. I was prepared to fore go my rule of no minis in my collection for this magnificent piece.

A few months later another mini Wilko appeared on the listing of national Auction House, along with a mini Neil Jenkins. I was determined to make this Grogg mine, even if it meant taking Neil as well. I bid hard for this piece and eventually won it for a fairly hefty price, but the cost didn't matter to me I was delighted to bring Jonny home.

A few weeks passed as I waited impatiently for Jonny to arrive, when the day eventually came I was suitably underwhelmed. As I peeled back the packaging the disappointment resonated throughout me, not because the Grogg hadn't lived up to my fond memories but because the condition was appalling. Battered, scuffed and subject to a dodgy re-paint this wasn't the homecoming I was hoping for, still I found a place for him within my collection and thought nothing more.

A few months later the British and Irish Lions completed their superb series win against Australia and as a result the Groggshop announced a number of Lions Groggs would be released to commemorate this... I wanted them all! The issue was, as always, money... I didn't have the cash readily available so made the decision to part with some of my Groggs to fund this, it didn't take much convincing for me to part with this substandard Wilko and within days he was sold and shipped off to a new home.

I carried on rebuilding my collection after the sales and revered in the excitement as each new Lion arrived, but there was always a piece missing. Why oh why did I sell my original Wilko, fresh from the shop, gleaming and full of character and uniqueness even at 5 inches tall. Furthermore, why did that auction piece that I paid a pretty penny for have to be so battered? I was starting to think the reunion wasn't meant to be.

Then something miraculous happened. Almost a year to the day another Mini Wilko was listed on a very well known online auction, I was like a kid in a sweetshop and I knew for me it was going to be 3rd time lucky. 5 days of auction passed and at the end Jonny was mine again. I waited frantically for the piece to arrive, all the time worrying it was going to be damaged or stained or have some other kind of defect which would dampen my enthusiasm, but no he arrived and he was perfect. Proudly placed in my cabinet with the rest of my England Groggs, this is one Grogg which I won't be letting go of again.

The enthusiasm for the Jonny Wilkinson Groggs wasn't just demonstrated by me. In fact, at the time of release and boosted by the 2003 World Cup win, both the mini and 9" versions of the Grogg were flying off the shelf. In fact such was the popularity of this player that the 9" version became the fastest selling Grogg of all time, rivalling the limited edition 1000 points gold boot Neil Jenkins Grogg.

In an interview with John Hughes at the time the BBC Wales reported him as saying:

"A lot of people like Wilkinson - he's an old fashioned hero... People identify with him, regardless of the fact he doesn't play for their team... Groggs are effectively hand-produced and we can't keep up with the level of orders we've had for the Wilkinson Grogg...We had produced a number of Wilkinson, Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio Groggs, but demand for Wilkinson has now gone through the roof... England winning the World Cup wasn't exactly convenient in the build-up to Christmas - it's virtually turned me into a clerk with the phone ringing off the hook for Wilkinson Groggs... We've had orders from Japan, France and Dubai as well as from England and Wales."

The desire to own a Jonny Wilkinson Grogg hasn't subsided now either. Although no longer available from the shop, both the mini and 9" versions always command a lot of interest whenever they become available in online auctions. In terms of value these Groggs always command in excess of £100 for the mini and £150 for the 9" version making them some of the most highly valued Groggs on the second hand market outside of the special / low edition Groggs.

Following on from the last Jonny Wilkinson Grogg produced circa 2003, there has never been another version of this influential fly-half made. Jonny hung up his boots this year and signed off with a fantastic Heineken Cup win with Toulon, many collectors held the hope that there was still time for one more Wilko Grogg but as it stands nothing has been announced by the shop. The possibility of this is looking extremely unlikely, but as any England fan will tell you, you always live in hope.