Jonny Wilkinson is very much at home at Toulon in the south of France © Getty Images

A trip to the south of France at this time of year is tempting enough but add in the chance to get an insight into one of the most fascinating clubs in the world and you can understand why I wasted little time in accepting an invite to visit Toulon earlier this week.

The biggest draw of course was a certain Jonny Wilkinson who shared his thoughts on life under the Mediterranean sun on the same day it was later announced that he would not be joining up with the England camp. Bad timing on our part but perhaps good on the part of the club? But I did find out that the club, who are not bound by the same agreement that guarantees the release of those players based in England, were not happy about the fact that they had received no official request for his release. Not that they would or even should let him go with their new season kicking off the same week!

But Wilkinson was only part of the story with the club itself taking centre stage. The likes of Felipe Contepomi, Tom May, Paul Sackey and Rory Lamont all offered valuable insight into the club as did coach Philippe Saint-Andre and also, perhaps most interestingly, club owner Mourad Boudjellal - all of which you can read on the pages of ESPN Scrum over the coming days.

And to cap it all I got to witness the small but mighty Stade Felix Mayol in full voice - with 13,000 packed in for the pre-season friendly(!) against Stade Francais that was won 25-22 by the hosts who kick off their Top 14 campaign against Bayonne on Friday, August 13.

And here's a 'postcard' from Toulon to whet your appetite:

Dear Readers,

Graham

	Wilkinson strikes a familiar pose on his Top 14 bow for Toulon © Getty Images

It is of course early days but Wilkinson's 17-point haul against Stade Francais is a heartening sign for those who have lived through his numerous ups and downs since he kicked England to Rugby World Cup glory in Australia in 2003.

Time and time again he has been slapped in the face by the fickle hand of fate and was most recently struck down with a dislocated knee cap at the end of last year that brought a premature end to his 12-year career at Newcastle Falcons. But Wilkinson has consistently defied expectation, and those who have urged him to call it a day, by rising like a phoenix from the flames with a competitive drive that surely has no equal.

But is it too soon to hail the return of the 'old' Wilkinson? In a word - yes. But that is not to say that there is no reason for Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal, coach Phillippe Saint-Andre and England manager Martin Johnson - all of whom have a vested interest in the No.10 - to be smiling today.

Wilkinson's performance against his side's Paris-based rivals was far from perfect with the odd handling error and mis-directed place kick blighting his report card. And there appeared to be a lack of a zip to his running game but speed has never been his greatest asset. But after 10 months on the sidelines you can forgive a bit of rust.

Saint-Andre told ESPN last week that he does not expect to see Wilkinson at his best until he has 10 games under his belt and using that sort of timescale England could have a fit and firing Wilkinson in time for this year's November internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand. That is as long as he can remain injury-free and steer well clear of the all too common fisticuffs or bagarre générale that proliferate France's top flight.

The warm welcome Wilkinson has received since switching to the continent may well go a long way to explaining the smile on his face of late, while the Mediterranean sun will have also been a welcome change to the often Arctic-like north east of England and Kingston Park. And despite his latest lengthy spell on the sidelines his star does not appear to be fading. He is already the subject of much adoration within the rugby-mad Toulon with a roar greeting his first successful kick on Friday night and a plethora of banners bearing his name.

There is no doubt that the club's passionate following have taken their club's latest high-profile signing to their hearts and the fluent French player speaker will have also won many friends since his arrival with his linguistic skills. At home the story is as it always has been. Eight months after an epic six-hour signing session at the launch of his latest book, Wilkinson was back at Twickenham this week risking repetitive strain injury at England's open training session.

As part of England's PR push, Wilkinson and his team mates spent hours obliging the estimated 4,500 fans who took advantage of the opportunity to watch the team begin their preparations for the November internationals. And not surprisingly, Wilkinson was in high demand.

A happy and fit Wilkinson is good news for nearly everyone. He is destined to be one of the stars of this Top 14 season but will no doubt have to fight for the headlines in a league blessed with talented fly-halves such as Clermont's Brock James, Stade's Lionel Beauxis, Toulouse's Frederic Michalak and Brive's own Englishman Andy Goode. His signature was not only a coup for Toulon but also the Top 14.

There will no doubt be the odd scare but at 30 years of age the seemingly indestructible Wilkinson could well be on the verge of another golden era.

	England's James Haskell gets ready for the new Super 14 season © Stade.fr

This season's third kit - modeled on the right by new recruit James Haskell - features a tattoo-inspired design incorporating a flurry of Fleur-de-lys so common in French heraldry, lightning bolts and raging seas. A real feast for the eyes - and all in glorious technicolour.

Those longing for the face of Blanche de Castille, the wife of Louis VIII, that memorably emblazoned last season's third kit can rest assured she has found a new home on the team's change strip - something of a promotion?

Who knows how much club president Max Guazzini makes from the sale of these shirts - I can't imagine the figure hugging style suiting the average fan - but at 78 euros (£67) they must be swelling the club's coffers. In comparison Leicester Tigers' new shirt will set you back £45.

On the subject of the cost of supporting your side - a top price ticket for the 12,000-capacity Stade Jean Bouin will set you back 60 euros (£51) although you will no doubt get a cheaper ticket for one of the five games Stade are set to switch to the 80,000 capacity Stade de France. In comparison, the most you will pay to see the Tigers at their re-vamped 24,000-seater Welford Road home this season is £35.

It appears it is not only the club owners who have deep pockets in France's Top 14.

And such prices are not just the domain of the league's gig guns. Big spending Toulon only just escaped relegation last year and as a result club president Mourad Boudjellal dusted off his cheque book again this summer. Perhaps as a result, the best seat at Toulon's Stade Mayol home will cost you 55 euros (£47) and a Toulon/Jonny Wilkinson No.10 shirt will cost you 79 euros (£68) via the club's website.

Many readers have inquired about the latter which suggests a fair few of you are planning your own Top 14 sojourn this season à la New Zealand's Dan Carter. And if you are planning to follow the injury-prone England fly-half on the latest leg of his storied career then rest assured that you will have to dig deep to do so!

It was sad to see Dan Carter's sabbatical come to a premature end after his Achilles woes returned at the weekend.

You feel desperately sorry for the Catalan club after they only got five matches and a total of 361 minutes playing time out of the world's best player following his arrival in a blaze of publicity last year. I only hope the French club took out sufficient insurance on their investment - the package with which they lured Carter to the northern hemisphere would have seen the Kiwi pocket a reported £500,000 for a six-month stint.

How much of that he will actually take back to New Zealand is still unknown but let's hope Perpignan don't have to cough up with the economic climate making things difficult as it is. I dare say that their club shop are also now stuck with a stack of No.10 shirts and other Carter-related paraphernalia to get rid of...

On a more serious note, is this just a reminder about the physical toll that the game takes on a player's body in the elite game? In 2008, Carter helped steer the Crusaders to the Super 14 crown before going on to feature in 14 Tests for the All Blacks that spanned their crushing victories over England, his country's Tri-Nations triumph and a Grand Slam tour of the UK - all this before joining up with Perpignan who happen to play in the most physical league in the world.

Add to this his numerous commercial commitments and the travel fatigue and no wonder his body is screaming 'give me a break!' Let this be a warning to you Mr McCaw. The New Zealand Rugby Union suits will not be the only ones urging players to think about their long-term welfare as opposed to short-term monetary gain.