Jonny Wilkinson signs autographs for fans

Speaking ahead the clash against the Welsh, England Team Manager Johnson said: “The players really appreciate the support they get, especially at Twickenham, and it’s great that Saturday’s game is a sell out. These three games are massively important for our World Cup preparations  - they will be full on and that’s exactly the atmosphere you want, a full house with 82,000 people.”

Fans that missed out on tickets for the Wales game will have another opportunity to see the England players perform at an open training session held at the stadium just three days later on August 9.

Gates open at 3.30pm on the day, with the training session kicking off an hour later. Fans are invited to stay behind after training to get autographs from their heroes.

England fly half Jonny Wilkinson enjoys meeting fans, and says that signing autographs gives him as much pride as pulling on the white shirt ahead of a big game.

Wilkinson said: “When all’s said and done, these signing sessions are the things that stick in your memory as intensely and with as much pride as some of the big games we play in, because it’s all part of playing for England.”

“Training in front of the fans is always a good experience, it gives a nice atmosphere that you don’t usually get at training. It’s almost makes you switch on that little bit more and focuses you.

“The best thing about it is to be able to engage with the people who support you. I always like putting faces to the cheers, and to see what it means to them – it’s a massive reality check. You realise how much it means to the fans.”

England face Wales at the Millennium Stadium just four days after the open session and Wilkinson promises that the intensity will not let up.

“It’s a great opportunity to see how tough it really is. I get lots of letters from people asking ‘what’s it like behind the scenes’, and to be honest it doesn’t get more real than a training session in Test week.

“It’s a big year for us this year with the Rugby World Cup around the corner, we know that a lot of these fans won’t be able to make it over to New Zealand so it’s important for us to give our thanks and converse with the guys who will be cheering us on from home.”

Wilkinson has been part of several epic signing sessions during his England career, once cancelling two flights back to France because there were still fans waiting to see him.

He added: “People often say to me ‘I’m sorry to ask you to sign this’ or ‘you must hate these signing sessions’, and I feel like saying ‘it’s really not a big deal, I haven’t written that much since I left school to be honest!’ but what’s writing your name and having a chat with someone? It means as much to us as hopefully it does to the fans – it’s a pleasure.”

The open training session will be the last time that fans will be able to see England at Twickenham before the World Cup after the test match against Wales on August 6 sold out.

Entrance into the stadium will be via Gate A and parking will be available in the West car park off Rugby Road.  The viewing area for the open training will be in the West Stand Lower tier.

• 3.30pm – Gates open
• 4.30pm – England open training starts
• 5.50pm – Training closes and autograph session starts

The Rugby Store, situated on the South Stand of Twickenham Stadium on Rugby Road, will be open from 10am and throughout the evening, offering supporters the opportunity to purchase England mementos and items to be signed.

The World Rugby Museum, also open from 10am, will be offering a special entry rate of £2 for adults and £1 for children, giving fans the chance to turn back the clock and learn about the history of the game and its ultimate competition, the Rugby World Cup.