Dallaglio's legacy will live on at Wasps
Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:57
Lawrence Dallaglio's legacy at Guinness Premiership champions London Wasps will help them survive without their captain, according to teammate Tom Rees.
Dallaglio's 339th and final Wasps appearance before retirement ended with him lifting yet another major trophy, thanks to a 26-16 win over Leicester at Twickenham on Saturday.
It was the England legend's seventh unbeaten Twickenham Final, a run that included four Premiership crowns, two Heineken Cups and an EDF Energy Cup success.
The 35-year-old England World Cup winner will leave a huge gap in Wasps' mental and physical armoury.
England flank Rees, one of the contenders to succeed him as skipper, admitted: "We will all miss Lawrence a huge amount.
"He has brought a huge presence to the team, both as a player and a leader. And I am confident from that mentality he has worked really hard to instill, we will go forward from here.
"Guys like Lawrence don't come around too often, so you need someone [as captain] who is going to be fairly comfortable with that weight on his shoulders.
"We have been built around Lawrence, and now, hopefully, we will move forward.
"Lawrence has made the point clear - it has never been about him, it has been about Wasps. He didn't talk about how he felt or about doing this for himself, it's always been about us as a collective.
"Whoever gets given it [the captaincy], we will get behind him and get on with it.
"I don't think there is a need for a fuss surrounding it because the guys will get behind whoever gets the armband."
Dallaglio's last major contribution in a Wasps shirt before he was substituted to a standing ovation arrived as Leicester threatened an unlikely fightback.
He said: "I have been spoiled at Twickenham, not just for Wasps but for England. It is a great place to play rugby.
"This was a phenomenal effort from everyone involved in the club. I am very proud.
"It is great to be able to call yourself champions of England. To be a great club you need to be able to win the title.
"We have had some great days in the last few years, but given where we were after the World Cup this is probably our greatest achievement."
AFP
