If he takes to the field, it will be the England fly-half’s first appearance since suffering a serious neck/shoulder problem playing for Newcastle against Northampton last December.

Wilkinson underwent surgery to correct nerve damage, and has missed England’s last eight Test matches – the entire 2004 RBS 6 Nations campaign and three summer Tests in New Zealand and Australia.

But the good news for England boss Clive Woodward and Wilkinson’s Newcastle club is that the 25-year-old is progressing superbly during Falcons’ build-up to the new campaign.

Wilkinson, who won the last of his 52 caps when England beat Australia in last November’s World Cup final, faced the media at Kingston Park today.

And he delivered an upbeat message about his prospects of returning to the game he has graced in record-breaking fashion.

“It has been an up and down experience,” he said, referring to his long haul on the comeback trail.

“I have been training since the injury, and I want to come back stronger and fitter so that I can try and improve as a player.

“I want to improve, but at the same time, it is like a fresh start. I have been out for a long time, and I’ve not got to earn my place in the team. I am starting off with a fairly blank sheet of paper.”

England will play their first game of the 2004-05 campaign against Canada at Twickenham on November 13, when Woodward would fully expect to have his country’s record international points scorer back on duty.

England have sorely missed Wilkinson during his absence from the game, and they have won just three matches without him since the World Cup.

Apart from Connacht, Newcastle will also meet Munster and the Pertemps Bees in pre-season fixtures before starting their Zurich Premiership campaign at newly-promoted Worcester on September 5.

Falcons boss Rob Andrew was giving little away today regarding Wilkinson, but it seems certain he will play some part against Connacht and then continue to build towards the Worcester clash.