It's often said that professional athletes are the only people in the world who actually have to look for a job once they retire.

If that is the case, then Rugby World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson should have no problem getting a job with a P.R. or marketing company, once he decides to hang up his boots, judging by his performance at a lunch at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.

Though quite how this will sit with the England flyhalf, who told his classmates at the age of eight -- and a full eight years before the sport embraced professionalism -- that "You guys can go get a job, I'm going to be a rugby player," is another thing.

Another recent visitor to Japan, former Australia wing David Campese, said that professionalism wasn't just about being paid, it was an attitude.

As such Wilkinson must be the consummate pro. After all this is a guy who spends five hours on Christmas Eve practicing his kicking.

Wilkinson, who was in Japan as part of an Asian tour organized by Adidas, is known for his dedication to his sport, and gave the assembled crowd an insight into what drives him.

"What I have in my head at the moment is a list of goals that I am desperate to achieve while I can," he explained.

"I have a list in a book of things I want to achieve and they take precedence over everything. Rugby is the central core of my life right now. Nothing interferes with my rugby," he said.

As he admitted on Friday, surgery on a long standing neck and shoulder injury has meant he has had a lot of time on his hands, but being the dedicated professional that he is, he has put it to good use.

"I have had one week's holiday in the last seven months. The rest of the time I have been training," he said.

"My first goal at the moment is to come back bigger, better, fitter and stronger. I can say I am fitter and I can say I am stronger. Bigger in a sort of mental presence. But better, we'll have to wait and see."

For despite being a World Cup winner, Wilkinson is far from done.

"I want to be successful in Europe with Newcastle . . . I want to win Grand Slams and be part of a winning Lions team. I want to be part of a team that is the first to win back-to-back World Cups."

In the meantime, the Newcastle flyhalf is more than happy to enjoy the traveling that his fame has accorded him, and believes that it will help him as a person.

"I felt I was hiding away (after the World Cup). Some of my friends thought I was becoming a recluse," he said.

"Doing this trip has made me more at ease. I'm not worried what people think of me or what I look like. I've tried to do a professional job and that will help me when I get back home."

So does that mean we could see him back in Japan?

If he doesn't return it certainly wouldn't be as a result of not being impressed by the local players at a coaching clinic he held at Waseda University.

"When I turned up I kicked a few to them and got them to kick them back to see how good they were," he said. "And they were fantastic. This made me very nervous. I was worried at being embarrassed, so I decided not to let any of them kick for the entire demonstration until the cameras had been turned off!"

So impressed was he that he asked the Waseda players to sign his shirt and in return Waseda announced that it had accorded Wilkinson the title of Honorary Coach -- the first time the title has been bestowed on anyone.

For now though it is back to Newcastle and training.

It won't, however, be back to the lifestyle adopted by his friend David Beckham.

"I am not the most adventurous person. Coming to three Asian countries in a week is the most adventurous thing I have done in a long time.

"You won't see me at film premieres or massive late-night parties with glamorous models. That's the way I like it to be."

With England's recent tour having led some journalists, particularly those based in the Southern Hemisphere, to come up with "From Champs to Chumps" headlines, Wilkinson believes the tour may be the best thing that happened to this England team.

"We didn't learn too much during the World Cup. The 76-0 loss to Australia (in June 1998) was undoubtedly the quickest bit of learning I have ever done. Maybe we needed to play not so well and get back to what England do best, which is learn lessons and come back stronger."

And with that he was off on yet another public relations exercise.

And, like his rugby, you may know what you are going to get, but you can't help but be impressed with the professional way he has prepared for whatever is in store.