Wilkinson is still not back to his best after injury

Wilkinson has played just six games after an eight-month lay-off with a nerve problem in his neck and shoulder.

And Brooke told BBC Sport: "The stats show he's worth 15 to 18 points a game.

"If you can nullify him and remove that many points by taking one player from a side, teams will use the tactic of sending the big guys his way."

Brooke added: "If I were the coach and knew he had a problem there, I would target his line. Other coaches will do that."

Wilkinson was forced to sit out England's latest training session after picking up an arm injury in the weekend's defeat to Wasps.

He needs team-mates to step in to produce some of the bigger hits Zinzan Brooke

Although not a serious setback, the England captain's approach to rugby needs to change to avoid a repeat, according to Brooke.

He said: "With injuries like that and the way he tackles, he needs to be careful.

"He needs to just make tackles so they're adequate, not the big bone-crunchers that we've all become familiar with.

"The sort of hits he puts in are usually the reserve of the big Pacific Islanders. Wilkinson is capable of stapling anyone but his shoulder can only take so much.

"He needs to adapt to that, slowly build up the shoulder and not fly in so tough as before, until he's back to its best."

Brooke warned there is a slim chance Wilkinson might not recapture his best form but deemed it "unlikely".

"He's young enough to recover," said Brooke. "He just needs time and perhaps the help of his team-mates to make sure they step in to produce some of the bigger hits."