There is nothing wrong with a little hero worship.

It helps us through our darkest days, and no more so than in sport where world acclaim comes England's way all too infrequently.

So to rename the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre after Rugby World Cup star Jonny Wilkinson would be a good idea -- were it not that it already bore the name of one of Oxford's immortal heroes.

William Morris -- later Lord Nuffield -- brought a new kind of fame to our university city with his pioneering motor manufacturing industry. Later he displayed a generosity to countless causes with his millions.

We have the notion that the name of Lord Nuffield will be remembered long after the much-talented yet self-effacing Jonny Wilkinson hangs up his boots and becomes a figure of rugby folklore, his deeds growing in direct proportion to the pints sunk in the club house.

Lord Nuffield's achievements will never need any exaggeration.