Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio is set to become the second member of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad to sell his winner’s medal after being declared bankrupt.
The 54-year-old has put a collection of memorabilia from his decorated rugby career up for auction, including medals, trophies and international caps.
Among the items being sold is his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner’s medal, which is expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000. The entire collection is estimated to be worth around £180,000.
The auction at Budd’s in Northamptonshire will take place on 13 October.
Dallaglio’s decision to sell the memorabilia comes after documents filed with Companies House last year revealed that he owed £423,570 in overdrawn director’s loans linked to his now-defunct company, Lawrence Dallaglio Limited.
He also owed more than £60,000 to liquidators, while claims worth around £350,000 had been made by HM Revenue & Customs and a further £61,000 by two other creditors.
Dallaglio was a key member of England’s historic 2003 side, which defeated Australia 20-17 in the World Cup final in Sydney.
He spent his entire club career with London Wasps and is regarded as one of the most decorated players in English rugby history.
The versatile back-rower won the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens and 2003 Rugby World Cup, while earning 85 England caps and touring with the British & Irish Lions three times.
He also helped Wasps win Premiership and European titles before retiring from professional rugby in 2008.
Among the other items going under the hammer are a British & Irish Lions cap, his 1993 World Cup Sevens winner’s medal and his 2003 Six Nations Championship winner’s medal.
Dallaglio recently opened up about his financial difficulties while appearing on The High Performance podcast.
Speaking earlier this month, he said: "As a result of getting divorced, I was made bankrupt.
"I had some financial problems - I could've done things a lot better."
Dallaglio also revealed that he sought therapy following his divorce and bankruptcy, admitting that the situation had left him wallowing in "self-pity".
Dallaglio is not the first member of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning side to sell his medal.
Former England winger Ben Cohen revealed last year that he had been forced to sell his winner’s medal to make ends meet during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cohen, who played a key role in England’s historic campaign, made the revelation during an interview with talkSPORT.
The former Northampton Saints star explained the financial difficulties he faced after the pandemic brought work to a halt.
He said: “I sold my World Cup medal to survive Covid. To survive.”
The admission left his former England teammate Phil Vickery in tears.
Cohen went on to explain the reality of his situation, saying: “I had nothing in Covid. Winning a World Cup medal is great – it’s a story to leave your kids, something to talk about.
"But the reality is, I had no work. What is my work? I’ll try to create, I’ll try to do things. It’s not that I’m lazy.”
