Following Lawrence Dallaglio’s retirement back in 2008, the Wasps legend selected his all-time England team for The Times.
Widely rated as one of the world’s best-ever back row forwards, he was a key member of England’s World Cup-winning squad in Australia in 2003 and the only player to play in every minute of the memorable campaign.
Dallaglio also featured on three British and Irish Lions tours, picking up three caps along the way, and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2016.
At domestic level, the 85-cap international was a one-club man with Wasps, picking up five Aviva Premiership titles along the way, as well as three Anglo-Welsh Cups and two European Rugby Champions Cups in his 18-year career.
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LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO’S ALL-TIME ENGLAND XV
15 MATT PERRY: “I liked Matt Perry at full-back. Great positional sense, dependable under the high ball, unbelievably courageous and talented. Plus, I believed Jason Robinson’s best position was wing.”
14 JASON ROBINSON: “There are occasions when you don’t have to justify your opinion. As for Jason’s best position being the wing, think back to his skinning of Chris Latham for the Lions in 2001 and his ability in a tight channel.”
13 JERRY GUSCOTT: “Jerry had a way of gliding into space that we haven’t seen in England since he stopped playing. Beautifully balanced runner with so much natural talent.”
12 WILL GREENWOOD: “The thinking man’s rugby player. Instinctively took the pressure off his own fly-half, a brilliant creator who was so clever, he would often end up finishing a move he had started.”
11 BEN COHEN: “I didn’t really play with Rory Underwood and I choose Ben because of his work-rate and extraordinary try-scoring. If Jonny had passed to his right, the World Cup try would have been his.”