By Paul Martin
Lawrence Dallaglio won a World Cup and toured as a British & Irish Lion but his memories of winning the Champions Cup stand alongside his most treasured in the game.
Dallaglio captained Wasps when they conquered Europe in 2004 and 2007, memorably overcoming Toulouse and Leicester Tigers respectively during a golden age for a tournament the No.8 insists is still the best club competition in the world.
This season, he will link up with Premier Sports as part of its 32-strong TV talent team for its live Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup coverage and will cast his eye over the modern-day stars looking to follow in his footsteps and lift the prestigious trophy.
“When I look at the fixture list, every game drags a memory out from somewhere down the line,” he said.
“I have always said the Champions Cup is international rugby in club jerseys and that remains the case.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win a World Cup and play international rugby but winning that competition, certainly the first time we won it against Toulouse at Twickenham, was one of the best experiences of my career.”
Two decades on from the first of his triumphs in the competition, Dallaglio has a particular fondness for recalling the dramatic 37-32 victory over Munster in the last four which booked their place in the showpiece.
“That game was probably the greatest game of club rugby I’ve ever been involved in,” he said.
“We walked out on to the old Lansdowne Road in front of 55,000 red shirts, it was unbelievable.
“The game is bigger now, there are bigger stadiums, but I’ve never known an atmosphere like it. The lead changed hands about 12 times, there were three yellow cards and the game went down to the wire.
“In the final, we were up against Toulouse, who had a budget of about £15m for their squad and we had about £3m for ours.
“The Rob Howley try in that final has gone down in Champions Cup history. It will be great to create new memories this season.”
Wasps’ second triumph three years later was the most recent time the competition has witnessed an all-English final, with Premiership sides finding continental success harder to come by in recent times.
Exeter Chiefs were the last side from these shores to win the Champions Cup, or even reach the final, back in 2020 with the balance of power shifting across the Channel in the years since.
The introduction of South African sides has made life tougher still for the eight English sides bidding for glory but Dallaglio believes one in particular will be competitive.
“Bath are a growing force,” he said.
“They were very strong last year and they were a little bit unlucky with the red card in the (Premiership) final.
“They were probably the better team that day, but lost. And from what I’ve seen this season, Finn Russell is seems to have brought a little bit more freedom to some of their players.
“They have a nice balance between that well drilled forward outfit and then they’ve got Lee Blackett, who’s desperate to let the shackles off a little bit and play in that kind of way that he played with Wasps and Scarlets.
“That seems to be a balance which is working out very nicely. I think if they keep their squad fit, they will challenge in this competition this year.”
Rugby on another level – Premier Sports is the new home of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup with 80 games live throughout the competition. Visit: www.premiersports.tv to sign-up.
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