Interview: Stephen Tyler
Picture: Graeme Main

NOT many players can lay claim to having tamed the Leicester Tigers, but London Wasps legend Lawrence Dallaglio had a habit of taking the sting out of one of Rugby Union’s most prominent club sides.

Where other opponents fell prey to the Tigers’ brand of ferocious forward play, Dallaglio stood tall to leave the enemy looking toothless on a number of occasions, most notably in the 2007 Heineken Cup final.

It seemed like fate when, after announcing his plans to retire from professional rugby at the end of the 2007/08 season, Dallaglio’s last match turned out to be a rematch against the Tigers in the Guinness Premiership final at Twickenham last May.

The London team raced into the lead and as they closed in on another title, Dallaglio was substituted to a standing ovation from even the most partisan of the record 82,000 fans inside the stadium.

Fittingly the highly-decorated World Cup winner, as inextricably linked to Wasps as the club’s black and gold shirts, called time on a glittering playing career at one of the game’s great grounds as a champion.

But while it appeared that the imposing number eight had graced the turf at the home of English rugby for the final time, Dallaglio has agreed to take to the field once more as captain of a Help for Heroes XV in a fundraising match next month (September 20).

Such is the rugby legend’s admiration for the work of today’s troops, he insists that supporting the Services is the only cause that could have convinced him to dust off his boots for one final time.

“The only reason I got involved was because the charity is so worthwhile and the cause is one that myself and the whole of rugby is very passionate about,” Dallaglio told Soldier in an exclusive interview. “I finished my career in the best way I could have hoped for and I didn’t intend on playing another game. This is certainly the first and last post-career competitive game I will be involved in.

“Throughout my career I and my colleagues have always had a very close relationship through letters and emails from people on the front line who were supporting the England rugby team, be it in the Six Nations or the World Cup.

“You get an understanding of what it means to people to be able to sit down in the desert in Iraq or wherever they may be and watch a game of rugby. That makes me very proud and I think we have carried that responsibility on our shoulders.

“Sportsmen and women are put up there as heroes, but when you understand what some of the people serving in places like Afghanistan and Iraq are going through, those guys are the real heroes.”

Dallaglio was originally drafted into the Help for Heroes XV as a non-playing captain, but he was quick to accept a more active role when opposing captain and former British Lions teammate Scott Gibbs announced he would be taking to the pitch.

The two heavyweights were involved in some titanic clashes between old enemies England and Wales and Dallaglio has no intention of treating September’s charity match as a friendly fixture.

“I can guarantee that this will not be an exhibition,” he continued. “It will be a competitive fixture and you would expect nothing less from something that’s representing the Forces.

“It’s going to be a fun day for a good cause, but it has to be a competitive match and we will be putting together two teams of players still capable of playing at the highest level to make sure it is.

“I hope that having myself and Scott playing against each other will get the English and Welsh factions within the Forces going and we intend to announce some more very high-profile players before the game.”

Organisers of the match are still finalising the two squads for the showdown but both starting 15s will contain a mix of established internationals, up-and-coming professional stars and some of the best players from the three Services.

The resulting line-ups are sure to provide 80 minutes of blood-and-thunder rugby in front of what is hoped to be a sell-out crowd in excess of 80,000 people in West London.

The use of Twickenham stadium has been donated for free and Dallaglio hopes that his involvement will help draw in the fans and push the match past its target of raising £1million for Headley Court.

“I would encourage everybody to come along because if we can get 50,000 people there to watch the Army play the Royal Navy then I really believe we can fill it for this match,” he said.

“The reality of war means that a lot of people return having had their lives completely changed either physically or mentally and I think that places like Headley Court are wonderful for giving them the opportunity to put their lives back together.

“It can not be done without funds and this is a chance for us to get involved and do it in a specific and worthwhile way.”

Despite overcoming several battles in his professional and personal life, including being stripped of the England captaincy following a sensationalist tabloid story, Dallaglio is at pains to state that his trials and tribulations are nothing compared to those of today’s Servicemen and women.

The 6ft 3in man mountain grew up listening to his mother’s stories about living in London during the Second World War and wants the sense of empathy that civilians felt with troops during that conflict to be rekindled in the present day.

“I think when the reality of war is closer to home we understand the implications a lot more,” he said.

“My mother used to wake up in the middle of the night to go to an underground shelter and when she went back up, the house on either side would be gone.

“When conflict is further away, perhaps it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind so this is an opportunity for us to really emphasise a growing feeling in this country that our Servicemen and women perhaps don’t get the respect or as good a deal as they deserve.

“There has always been a link between rugby and the Forces that goes back a long way.
“We are all tremendously proud of the incredible work that these men and women put in around the world and this match gives us an opportunity to help that grow.”

Dallaglio got a prime example of the dedication and drive typical of those in the Forces when Wasps teammate Josh Lewsey combined his professional rugby career with officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

The full back was given special dispensation to leave the academy to attend matches and training sessions, on one occasion playing at Twickenham in the afternoon and returning to Sandhurst straight after the final whistle.

He has gone on to become a key member of the Wasps and England set-ups and Dallaglio is full of praise for his efforts.

“I take my hat off to Josh and to the club because he managed to do the training and hold down his playing career. There was a lot of give and take on both sides and I hope that everyone got out of it what they needed,” he said.

“Josh is a good soldier and a good rugby player and there are not many people who could have done what he has, physically let alone mentally.

“It has been a pleasure to captain him because he’s a professional, hard-working, bright lad who knows what he wants,” he added.

Winning the 2007-08 Guinness Premiership title added a final gloss to a playing career almost unrivalled throughout world rugby.

As an England player, Dallaglio was a key factor in the country beating Australia to the World Cup in their own back yard in 2003.

His contribution in the famous white shirt also produced four Six Nations championship titles and the proud Englishman put aside his rivalry with his Irish, Scottish and Welsh counterparts to take part in British Lions tours to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Even northern hemisphere club rugby’s biggest prize, the Heineken Cup, has ended up in Dallaglio’s hands after he steered Wasps to victories over Toulouse in 2004 and Leicester Tigers in 2007.

The immense success that Wasps have achieved during rugby’s professional era has been built on a bedrock of players such as Dallaglio, Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley who have stuck with the club from its amateur days.

Dallaglio admits to missing some of the off-the-field excesses that have been lost to professional rugby, but thinks the stability that has developed as a result has put the club in a strong position.

“A lot of people tell me I’m a tremendously loyal person for staying [with Wasps] for 18 years and I suppose on reflection you could say that,” explained Dallaglio. “But my loyalty and my decision to stay has always been because it has given me the chance to be competitive and play for England.

“If I felt that it didn’t then I would have been happy to move on because you have to be ruthless in that respect. I’ve been lucky enough to play for a club that’s close to me and in all my time here I have had four coaches and played with two fly halves.

“That tells you all you need to know about success being developed over a long period.
“I have been a small part of that and I hope that with the likes of Danny Cipriani, Tom Rees and James Haskell, it will continue long into the future.”

Although his playing career with Wasps has ended, Dallaglio has no intention of letting his links with the side fade and is currently working to develop the club’s brand.

He also intends to carry on gaining coaching qualifications and admits he would “love” to work with the squad if the opportunity arose.

Whatever the future holds for the Londoner, the men and women of the Forces can be assured that one of England’s sporting greats will always be ready to fight for their cause.

“There are a lot of similarities between rugby and the Forces – the pursuit of excellence, making big decisions, the spirit, the training, being able to cope in a high-pressure environment.

“I have been very fortunate to have played with and against some amazing players and in some amazing teams.

“You can’t write your own script, but my career finished better than I could ever have asked for.

“While that is true, it’s important to remember that when you’re a sportsman you put your reputation on the line every week. When you’re a Serviceman you put your life on the line.
“That’s a big difference and that is why we are so grateful for what these men and women do.”