Wilko eyeing double for Toulon

The 33-year-old former World Cup winner is confident Toulon's team of all-stars can take the final step to finally putting some silverware into the club's trophy cabinet after so many near misses in recent seasons.

And it could be that the England and British & Irish Lions star calls time on his remarkable career if Toulon hit double top this season. The French club are preparing the way for a Wilko exit by lining-up Bath's former Springbok scrum half Michael Claassens to join them.

If Wilkinson retires, then Claassens will fill the No 9 jersey with Frederick Michalak switching to No 10. If Wilkinson carries on for another season, then Claassens could well stay at Bath.

"If you ask me if we can do the double? I say yes," Wilkinson told L'Equipe earlier this month. "It would be the best way to reward them."

Toulon are seven points clear at the top of the Top 14 table at the half-way stage of the campaign and are five points clear of Montpellier in Pool 6 of the Heineken Cup after four successive wins.

A home win over Cardiff Blues, who have yet to win in Europe this season, at Stade Felix Mayol on 12 January would see them win the Pool and clinch a coveted quarter-final place. They then complete their Pool matches with a trip to Montpellier in Round 6.

Despite all his success at international level with England, Wilkinson has few club trophies in his collection. He won the Premiership title with Newcastle Falcons in the 1997-98 season and helped them take the Powergen Cup at Twickenham in 2001 and 2004.

Toulon have fallen at the final hurdle in three major tournaments during Wilkinon's time at the club. They were beaten by Toulouse in the French Championship final last season and also lost the Amlin Challenge Cup finals in 2010 and 2012.

You have to go back to 1992 for the last of Toulon's three French Championship titles and Wilkinson has made no secret of the fact he wants to guide his club to a fourth success before leaving.

This is his 13th season in European competition, but only twice has he reached the quarter-finals in the Heineken Cup. The first time was with Newcastle Falcons in 2004-05, when the English side were beaten in Paris by Stade Francais, and in 2010-11, when Perpignan were 29-25 winners over Toulon in Barcelona.

Wilkinson has scored 41 points in this season's Heineken Cup and has scored 190 points in his 16 tournament appearances since 1997. He has scored 485 points in 37 appearances in the Amlin Challenge Cup, giving him a grand total of 675 points in 53 European appearances to date.

He stepped down from international rugby in December, 2011, and is currently contemplating his future at club level.

"I am able to continue, but it is a delicate balance. Like when I was in Newcastle, the question is not what I want to do, but do what is good for my team," Wilkinson added.