Stimpson became the first player to notch up 1000 Zurich Premiership points in the weekend defeat against Sale.

The Tigers' full-back featured for England in last year's Six Nations on the bench, but Wilkinson has backed Stimspon to force his way into the starting XV.

"Don't get the idea that Tim's happy to simply keep slotting them between the posts," Wilkinson wrote in his latest exclusive column for Sport Online.

"But Tim does so much more than that. He's a complete rugby player and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him back in the England first XV."

Stimpson started the match at Heywood Road on 999 points and passed the landmark with his first penalty eight minutes into the game.

He tops the Premiership points-scoring table above Northampton's Paul Grayson, Wilkinson and Kenny Logan of Wasps, who have all passed 900 points.

Wilkinson continued: "Tim may not currently feature in Clive Woodward's starting line-up and there are some who say he doesn't fit in with the new vision of what Clive wants to achieve with the national side.

"But if he keeps performing with Leicester, then someone will surely have to sit up and take notice.

"With the World Cup on the horizon it's imperative that England has all its best players competing for a place."