Rugby: Fearsome Dallaglio back in business

By Wynne Gray

At the World Cup

Ironically, Lawrence Dallaglio considers his enforced three-month absence from rugby has been a godsend for him in the World Cup.

Dallaglio, a former England captain, was fined $50,000 for bringing the sport into disrepute over drug allegations, is back with plenty of different fuel in his tank and demanding redemption with his performances at No 8.

As he sought to rebuild his career, Dallaglio hired Margot Wells, the wife of former Olympic sprint king Allan Wells, as his personal trainer to get him into the physical condition he needed to blast through a six-week event like the World Cup.

Her influence has been immense and will be recognised as such if Dallaglio and his team-mates can break the hoodoo which has bedevilled Northern Hemisphere teams in the three World Cups.

"I've got fitter and faster," Dallaglio said. "Thanks to her, I feel like I can go into every game and dominate my opposite number. My life has returned to some sort of normality and I certainly feel confident about our World Cup chances."

Strong words, and definite personal motivation for All Black No 8 Taine Randell as he fronts up against Lawrence Bruno Nero Dallaglio at Twickenham on Sunday.

Dallaglio is an immense man for a loose forward, standing at 1.93m (6ft 4in) and weighing just over 108kg (17 stone) and while he looked as menacing yesterday as he ever did, he also looked to have tapered his physique a fraction.

He is back in the media scrum again after the scandal which forced him to quit as England captain in May, and his late reinstatement to the team in August.

During those turbulent months, Dallaglio hit the roads with the venom of a man dispossessed of what he treasured and yearned. He built on his endurance and went to special sprint classes with Wells.

The result was a typically ferocious performance in his World Cup start against Italy. His pace, power, ball-handling and breadth of game were wondrous to watch.

Two years ago he opposed Randell again as both played in the No 6 jersey at Old Trafford and Twickenham. It was apparent then that Dallaglio was a colossus amongst a high-quality field of loose forwards.

England have moved on since then. They have a new captain in Martin Johnson, they have had dips in form, they have been unsettled about finding a style but seem to have sorted their pattern for the World Cup.

"I think the most important thing for everyone to recognise is that we have spent a lot of time in each others' company, something which we were unfamiliar with in England because we were constantly pulled between international and club rugby," Dallaglio said.

"For the first time in a very long time we have given ourselves the best possible chance in this World Cup."

The squad had spent the last few months together in a variety of training camps where the benefits had been both team bonding and understanding how they ticked on and off the field and giving them the confidence in each other's ability.

England got better each time against the United States and Canada and the World Cup start against Italy had been pleasing, he said.

But the beauty of the World Cup was that the winners would come from a side with consistent performances and that had been one of the criticisms of England.

They had been erratic, and that was where they looked at sides like the All Blacks, who had been proven performers in every World Cup.

"I have personal motivation for obvious reasons. I have been able to rest after a long season last year, which I have not had in summers gone by. That rest was obviously enforced and I think I have come out the other side well rested both physically and mentally.

"I remember the last World Cup which I watched and England got on the plane to South Africa having got off the back of a 50 or 60-game season and this time it has come in the off-season for us and it has come at the right time."

Losing the captaincy had not reduced his responsibilities, especially in his switch to No 8, where he was an integral part of making the decisions.

In the past England could be accused of being too predictable and that had counted against them in some tight contests.

Former New Zealand representative and England forward coach John Mitchell had introduced more flexibility into the side and that had given them another dimension.