Sport.co.uk went face-to-face with one of the icons of British rugby – 'The General' Lawrence Dallaglio. The former England captain sat down with Nigel Brown to preview the RBS Six Nations, run rule over Danny Cipriani and James Haskell, and tell us about the Lawrence Dallaglio Cycle Slam.
So where did the idea for the Lawrence Dallaglio Cycle Slam come from?
Well I did take part in a cycle ride last year through the Pyrenees for the charity Bliss. A friend of mine who runs Pizza Express asked me if I would like to do a bike ride, and I said yes of course I would.
Then I went away post my retirement from English rugby in my first summer where I didn’t have to worry about anything like pre-season training. Then I turned up to this bike ride and realised there is a little bit more to it than just a bike ride. A 1000km cycle through the Pyrenees in eight days, over five mountains, and I did it with 32 people and we raised over £500 000. It got me thinking about doing a similar project this year.
And, I came up with the idea of the Six Nations Lawrence Dallaglio Cycle Slam. I wanted to raise money for the Dallaglio foundation, my own foundation that I set up after I lost my mother to cancer at the back end of 2008. And also I thought about Sport Relief, and I thought it would be great to get them involved. It is using the power of sport in a very fun and active way to raise lots of funds for some incredible charities. It fitted together like a jigsaw.
The only missing piece is that I have to cycle just under 3000 km in 24 days, leaving Rome on February 12th and arriving in Edinburgh on March 13th. Taking in every stadium used in the Six Nations on the way.
Are you planning on stopping for a few beers along the way?
Well I wouldn’t say that it is top of my list, but rather like my rugby career I am sure there will be some fun and enjoyment along the way. I have a fairly well trodden formula that I have used for many years and it seems to have got me through my rugby career and I am sure it won’t change now I am a cyclist.
Are you worried about chafing on your trip?
Chafing. Is that something you do in the morning before work?
You know, the rubbing of the thigh and nipple area. It can become very sore I hear if you don’t use Vaseline or plasters.
Oh right. Yes, I think chafing could be a problem, along with the fact that I am an 18 stone rugby forward on a little bike.
Did you have the bike specially made?
Well I was thinking about a chopper, but I think it wouldn’t have been in the spirit of things. Fortunately Giant have come to the rescue and I am on their Tour De France bike. Remember it is not something I am going to be doing on my own. There are seven core riders and we have over 230 others signed up, and it will be very tough along the way but that is part of the fun.
Has the training been very different from your rugby career?
Well, it is a lot less lifting and you don’t run into brick walls, which is a really nice change. The preparation is very different, a lot less grunting and moaning. Which I actually miss!
Cycling is very demanding, particularly given my weight limitations, but it is equally satisfying. I did have to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to win, which was very hard for me - in fact it is a very difficult concept. But I am telling everyone it is the taking part that counts. And in all seriousness this is about raising the £1 million target that we have in mind for the Dallaglio Foundation and for Sport Relief.
My strap-line has always been ‘power together,’ and I really believe in the team factor and getting people to do things that they didn’t think were possible. The support and enthusiasm for the bike ride from friends, colleagues and people I have never met before who are equally as insane is fantastic.
Who are the key men in your eyes for England in this year's RBS Six Nations?
It's good to talk about England as candidates and as an Englishman I am always slightly biased. To be honest though the previous year’s Six Nations denotes that we should be talking about other teams as potential winners, not England.
In particular Ireland as they are the form team going into the tournament. They are the Grand Slam champions, the defending champions, they are the hunted rather than the hunters. They are the best team in terms of their results coming into the tournament especially when they have recently beaten the World Champions South Africa. So they are the benchmark, and the team that everyone wants to beat.
Wales are a formidable unit, but with their injury problems at the moment I think it could be difficult for them to mount a challenge. In my eyes that makes Scotland dark horses for an upset as they have three games at home; personally, I don’t feel that they are good enough to win the competition but they are certainly good enough to stop someone else winning the competition and having a major say in proceedings. I expect them to put a dent in somebody’s title ambitions.
In terms of the Italians I think one victory would mean the tournament was a massive success.
And then there is France. We know how good they are and the key with them is they haven’t been on a Lions tour in the last year, so they are very fresh. The million-dollar question with the French is will they remember to bring their boots with them when they travel?
Sometimes they are a very frustrating side to watch because they play like Gods on one day, and then another like the whole world is conspiring against them and they shrug their shoulders...its then that you know as their opponent, that it is your day. If they get it right they are capable of winning the tournament very comfortably, but its that word consistency which is crucial in the Six Nations, and you have to play five games over a period of about seven or eight weeks which means injuries and suspensions become important factors.
And that brings us on to England. In my mind my heart wants England to do well, but my head tells me they have only won around 50% of their fixtures over the last couple of years. And let me tell you it is very difficult to go from 50% to 100% in the space of one tournament. For me, it is about building blocks for England. They have a management team under pressure and players that must surely have that hunger and desire to get England back to what we call the top table of international rugby.
It is good they have players back from injury, such as Riki Flutey, Nick Easter and Delon Armitage. I think the squad that Martin Johnson announced is unrecognisable to the one he announced in the Autumn. We must also remember that they are playing the two best teams in the competition at Twickenham. Wales is their opening game and it very important to get off to a winning start in the Six Nations, and then also hosting Ireland at home.
Without being laughed out of town I genuinely believe England possess a real threat to this tournament and I think they could do very well. I think we mustn’t dismiss England’s chances of going on and winning this tournament. They came second last year having played very poorly. And, I do think that they will do quite well.
Would you have expected your former teammate Danny Cipriani to have made more of an impact in an England shirt by now?
Well I think what you have to remember is that Danny had a very impressive start to his international career. Any man who can keep Jonny Wilkinson on the bench and be the main man in a virtually flawless performance against Ireland is always going to turn a few heads. Not just male heads either.
But clearly since then he has had a few ups and downs. He had a horrific ankle injury that ruined his season. And trust me having had the same injury myself it takes a hell of a lot of coming back from, both physically and mentally. He was then starting to come back to some form but broke his leg at the beginning of this season. So if you actually analyse it, in two season he has broken his ankle and leg and yet we still expect a hell of a lot from the lad.
He is just making his comeback at the moment and he is starting to show the sort of form that got him selected for England. I think the key for Danny will be to get that consistency back. If he can put together some consistent performances, that is the type of thing Martin Johnson will be looking for. There is no doubt he has the talent, and has a hell of a lot going for him. He has the good will and that feeling from the whole of the country that everyone would love to see him back.
And what influence has his lady, the gorgeous Kelly Brook had on his development?
I wouldn’t know. I am not a fly on the wall in their house. I am sure he still washes his own kit.
Eye gouging is a hot topic at the moment. Have you ever been on the receiving end of an eye gouge?
Do you honestly think I have the answer to that question? I don’t think I have been on the receiving end of an eye gouge. I certainly have never given out any treatment to anyone. I don’t think it has any place in the game and it is not what people want to see as it has no place in the game of rugby.
It is a bit like diving and how diving has no place in football. There are certain things that you don’t do on a rugby field and that is one of them. The game does allow a certain amount of physical intimidation and it is a physical sport, and no one wants to see the physicality taken out of the sport that makes rugby the gladiatorial game that it is. But it has to be played within the laws of the game. And I can’t remember seeing gouging in the laws of rugby.
It seems the powers that be have come down very hard on this Frenchman, and I understand it is also because he doesn’t have a very good disciplinary record and that this act will not be tolerated in the modern game.
James Haskell has been dubbed in the past the ‘next Lawrence Dallaglio’. Do you consider him your rightful heir?
My heir? Well, I’m not sure about that. I don’t think he is the future Lawrence Dallaglio because he is the future James Haskell. He is another player with immense talent, and he is doing very well. He has a Heineken Cup winners medal and Premiership winners medal from his time at Wasps at a very tender age, I think it was 22, and that is a lot more than I had at the age of 22.
He has settled down in France and forced his way into Martin Johnson’s squad and I am sure he will have a great opportunity in this years Six Nations to show everyone what he can do and I am sure he will delighted to get back in a white shirt rather than a pink one every week.
Finally Lawrence the voice of rugby Bill McLaren, will sadly not be with us for this Six Nations, how will you remember him?
He will be remembered as a legend of the game. I think he was first and foremost a very passionate Scotsman, but whilst his commentary was very passionate he always put it across in a very even way. My childhood memories are of listening to his voice, even if you couldn’t see the television screen.
I had the privilege and honour of meeting him on a number of occasions, and co-commentating with him and he was a lovely man. He had some very interesting ways on how to bring the game of rugby to life, the one about Jonah Lomu – ‘I am no hob carrier, but I would be laying bricks if he was running at me.’ And, another one, that man has a sidestep like a bolt of lighting. Something about a demented ferret running up a drainpipe.
He will be sorely missed and I am sure the Six Nations will find their own way of paying tribute to the great men.
Support Lawrence Dallaglio and his fellow cyclists as they embark on this mammoth ride by donating via www.dallagliocycleslam.com. Net proceeds will be shared equally between Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.
Photo Credit: Rob Baalham