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Dallaglio the warrior bows out

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Morgan in the driving seat - Alister Morgan on why the recently-retired Lawrence Dallaglio should go down as an England great

Just prior to last year's rugby World Cup NikeTown, in Oxford Circus, dedicated an entire window display to their latest rugby advert. An epic panorama captured the white cliffs of Dover towering high over the Channel. Posted at intervals along the edge of the cliffs were several England players in full kit. They looked stoically out to sea like sentinels facing France with the exception of Lawrence Dallaglio.

The Wasps captain stood in the foreground. His muscular body strained as he stood, open-mouthed and roaring, facing some unseen foe beyond the sea. There's no denying that, above all others, Dallaglio represented the warrior spirit of England rugby.

His final World Cup display didn't live up to the promise of the Nike advert or the high standard of play with which Dallaglio made his reputation over 17 years. However, any attempt to gauge Dallaglio's place as an England legend should not dwell on his lack of impact as a World Cup replacement or the press storm following his indiscreet autobiography.

Since he burst onto the scene in 1990 as an eighteen-year-old prodigy Dallaglio caught the eye with his explosive ability to carry the ball from the breakdown.

Whether he was bursting free from the base of the scrum, slowing opposition play or dishing sweet passes in the tackle Dallaglio was a player whose reputation was admired across the rugby world.

Named Wasps captain at 17, he was as affable off the pitch as he was formidable on it. Yes, he frequently talked-the-talk but he had little trouble walking-the-walk regularly producing inspirational performances. Who could forget his legendary Six Nations try against Wales when he crossed the line carrying a handful of men and the ball over the try line?

Injury restricted his British Lions contributions but he won a World Cup and four Six Nations titles for England. Injury robbed him of 100 caps over the years but it was his own indiscretions that cost him the England captaincy when a national newspaper printed a 9-year-old story of drug use.

We'll never know what might have been but Dallaglio was never the sort of person to hide away and he remained a leader to teammates and a firm favourite with the fans. He's won four Premiership titles, three Powergen Cups and two Heineken Cups with Wasp to date but his England career has definitely ended following his second resignation from international rugby.

Following his attacks on England's World Cup preparation it's fair to assume that Brian Ashton was unlikely to select him but, on current Premiership form at least, he remains a formidable No 8.

Dallaglio has always been a smart guy but like most sports celebrities he erred when assuming that he could control the media's serialization of his autobiography. More importantly, he was intelligent enough to quit while he could still perform at the highest level and he is the second most-capped player in England rugby. However, despite recent good form the decline over the last 20 months has been there for all to see.

Like all legendary players England will struggle to replace him but in truth the process started long before this month's announcement.
What chance of Dallaglio ending his Wasps career with a trophy? Not much I'm afraid as Wasps, despite their obvious talents, are outmatched at home and abroad.

In the Premiership you can back Wasps to win at [10] but it's too big an ask with Gloucester [2.56] and Leicester [3.4] holding court at the top of the table. Bath [8] remains a better outside bet for Premiership success but Wasps may have more success in Europe.

I don't expect Wasps [11] to win the Heineken Cup but I do expect Dallaglio to excel on the European stage before exiting stage left, bloodied but unbowed, to thunderous applause when the fat lady sings.