Lawrence Dallaglio: 10 things you didn’t know about the England legend

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by Steven Smith

Saturday, 10 August 2019 at 16:09

bySteven Smith

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Being one of the most popular players on the globe is likely to generate an incredible fan-base globally, but we are fairly confident that there are some aspects of Lawrence Dallaglio’s life and career you are not familiar with.

1. Full Name

Better know and Lawrence, his full name is Lorenzo Bruno Nero Dallaglio.

2. Nickname

As a young lad he boarded at Ampleforth College where he was affectionately known as "Del Boy".

3. Family tragedy

His sister Francesca, a 19-year-old student ballerina, died in the Marchioness disaster in 1989. It was a collision between two vessels on the River Thames in London in the early hours, which resulted in the deaths of 51 people.

4. Choir boy

In 1985, as a 12-year-old chorister in the King's House School choir, Dallaglio and 20 other choristers sang backing vocals on the song "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner.

5. International options

The back-rower turned down an invitation to play for Ireland.

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6. Star man

Dallaglio was a central member of the 2003 England Grand Slam and World Cup-winning side, being the only player to play in every minute of England's World Cup campaign.

7. Drugs scandal

On 24 May 1999 Dallaglio resigned as England's rugby union captain following allegations in the that he had used and been a dealer in hard drugs, including and : the incidents were alleged to have taken place eight or nine years earlier, though the newspaper's front-page story made no mention of this.

News of the World

Dallaglio "categorically denied" the newspaper's claim that he had dealt in drugs and said he had been the victim of "an elaborate set-up".

8. Family life

Dallaglio married his long-time girlfriend, Alice, in 2005. They have two daughters, Ella and Josie, and a son, Enzo.

9. Fast car

Chop Shop turns a wretched MkI Ford Capri into a mean black muscle car for former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio.

10. Two World Cups

Dallaglio famously won the Rugby World Cup in 2003 under Sir Clive Woodward but also was part of the England team that won the Sevens World Cup in 1993, scoring a try in the 21-17 victory against Australia.