The Kiwi, who signed a new deal to stay at Franklin’s Gardens just before Christmas, has seen action in every position bar scrum-half across the backline during his time in the East Midlands, winning plaudits for his performances in all of them.
Some other players have found being pigeonholed as a ‘utility’ player something of an albatross, where they are seen as a jack of all trades and a master of none, but Wilson believes that in contrast being able to fill in across multiple positions has been nothing but good for his career.
“I like being the utility player,” he says in this week’s podcast. “You get to play in different positions and I enjoy mixing it up. Growing up it was that way for me; I was able to play in the forward pack at school as well as in the backs, so it gave me the knowledge of what each position’s roles are and what you do in each position.
“Playing professionally is different than playing at school, obviously, but I’ve found a couple of positions that I really like and I’ve worked on them ever since.
“It’s not easy, to be honest. You do have to do a lot of little extras that people don’t see, especially earlier on in your career. Sometimes you get thrown in at the deep end and it works out that way, but you have to work on it.
“It’s something that I relish here at Northampton; it gives coaches a bit of freedom where they can use you in different positions. You keep doing what you can do.”
You can hear the full interview in this week’s podcast, which also includes a full preview of the Saints’ Aviva Premiership trip to Sale Sharks. Download for FREE or stream on any device at www.soundcloud.com/official-saints-rugby
