Jonny Wilkinson claimed he is undaunted by expectation over his England return as he resumes an international career he once feared was over.

Wilkinson has been ravaged by injury since helping England lift the 2003 World Cup but his move to French club Toulon has seen him restored to full fitness.

On the strength of his impressive form he will reclaim the fly-half jersey he once wore with such distinction when Australia, Argentina and New Zealand visit Twickenham next month.

Hopes that England's fortunes will improve inevitably accompany any Wilkinson comeback, but the 30-year-old will approach his first Test since March 2008 with a more balanced view of what he can achieve.

"We've had the 'It's all right, Jonny's back' thing before. It seemed to end rather miserably that time," he said.

"It's a funny story, but it just doesn't affect me and my decision-making.

"You hit every game with absolutely everything you've got and keep doing that until the final whistle.

"No-one more than myself looks round the changing room before a game and thinks 'thank God I'm surrounded by guys like these'.

"My perspective of my own game is one where I just try to use a bit more of my wisdom from the experiences I've had.

"What hasn't changed as I've got older is that I want to make the most of every opportunity.

"I don't like to leave anything in the changing room for a rainy day. I don't like to save stuff for next week.

"But at the same time, my definition of giving it everything I've got has changed a little bit. My younger outlook was running headlong into everything.

"Now I want to use the same energy but by the end of the game I want to make sure I'm in the right position and doing the right things."

Wilkinson risked adding to the hype, however, when he reflected on the six years lost to injury by claiming the current England set-up reminds him of 2003.

"I probably did fear this day would never come," he said.

"I was out for a long time and when I did come back in they were funny little cameo appearances.

"There's something about being back in an environment which is all about the players and getting the best out of them. It's an amazing feeling.

"You get flashbacks to a few years when we were in this hotel before the 2003 World Cup. It's got that good feeling about it."

Wilkinson recently stated he is "way better than 2003" and England must hope he is proved correct as they attempt to emerge from a challenging autumn with their reputation enhanced.

An unprecedented injury crisis has robbed Martin Johnson of half his first-choice line-up before a ball has been kicked, severely denting his hopes of securing a first Tri-Nations scalp as manager.

Considering the injury concerns of others is a curious situation for Wilkinson, but despite his history in the treatment room he is unable to shed any light on the recent spate of withdrawals.

"It's tough because I got to the stage where I found it difficult to break out of that cycle and there's no real explanation for why things have turned around for me," he said.

"I haven't necessarily done anything different from what I was doing before apart from being at a different club.

"I play the same way, try to do the same things, train the same way. It does seem to me to be one of those things.

"Throughout my career I've been with different teams where you've trained certain ways with lots of contact or you've trained not so much and it doesn't make that big a difference."

Johnson welcomed Wilkinson's presence in the England camp and refused to lament the casualty list that has shredded his autumn plans.

"You are always going to miss world-class players if they aren't available," he said.

"This is as bad a run of injuries as there has been. Guys get injured, it's part of playing rugby.

"We are focusing on the guys that are here and we're confident in this group."

Traditionally the autumn has enabled the southern hemisphere to prove the chasm separating them from the European teams is as large as ever, but Johnson is unmoved by talk of narrowing the gap.

"For us it's not a north and south thing, it's an England against everyone else thing," he said.