"A Proper Dust Up" – Lawrence Dallaglio: Former England captain recalls his toughest Champions Cup match ahead of the opening round of 2024/25 season

12/04/2024 09:46 AM

Lawrence Dallaglio, one of England’s most iconic forwards and a cornerstone of Wasps’ success, has had his fair share of unforgettable moments in the Champions Cup. From brutal pool-stage battles to lifting the trophy on the grand stage of the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Dallaglio's experience in premier club competition is second to none.

In a recent interview at the Premier Sports EPCR season launch in London, the 2003 Rugby World Cup winner reflected on the defining moments of his decorated club career. The career-long Wasps man spent 18 years in the iconic black, yellow and white, and he recently reflected upon his memories of leading the charge on the European stage. Dallaglio discussed the defining moments that have shaped his European rugby journey, along with the ever-evolving landscape what the future holds for the Premiership's top sides in the competition.

Dallaglio recalled the dramatic pool-stage match against Perpignan, when Wasps travelled to southern France during the 2004/05 season. This match is infamously remembered for the 12 USAP players that were cited following the match, with three players recieving yellow cards within the 80-minute war. In a clash that epitomized the brutal nature of the Champions Cup’s early years, Dallaglio recalls how Wasps fought tooth and nail to secure a crucial victory.

"Well, I mean, I think the Perpignan game was an incredible moment, really," Dallaglio began, as he revisited the infamous contest. "With Warren Gatland, we went over there for a round six pool match and it was literally a proper dust-up. We actually scored a try, I scored a try in the last five minutes, and it changed our quarter-final from Stade Francais to Gloucester. Obviously, the format was that we were the last team to kick off, actually, so we could almost be in control of our own destiny."

Despite the landslide of a scoreline, Dallaglio highlighted how the nature of the game was far from straightforward. "But I can assure you that the scoreline was about 36-6 in the end. But it was nothing but. It was a brutal battle, and, you know, we got a standing ovation." He continued, emphasizing how such fiercely contested games stand out when reminiscing about the competition. "For me, when you go deep into this competition, those are the games you seem to remember the most."

While the Perpignan encounter was tough, Dallaglio's memory of the 2004 semi-final against Munster remains one of the greatest games in his illustrious career. Played in the fiery atmosphere of Dublin’s Lansdowne Road, the Munster took over the home of their Irish rivals Leinster, and bathed the iconic stadium in a sea of red. Dallaglio believes that match was a perfect example of European rugby at it’s most intense and unpredictable, with the fixture going down in history as ‘The Game of the Decade’ for the 2000s.

"We walked out to an old Lansdowne Road and there was 55,000 red shirts. I kid you not, it was unbelievable," Dallaglio said, vividly recalling the breathtaking sight of Munster's passionate supporters. "The game is obviously bigger now than then, with the stadiums, but I’ve never done an atmosphere like it." The game was a tense, back-and-forth affair, with both sides exchanging the lead multiple times throughout the match.

"The lead changed hands about 12 times, three yellow cards, and the game went down to the wire," Dallaglio continued, painting a picture of the high-stakes drama. "Then we scored in the last couple of minutes of the game." It was a match that would forever be etched in the minds of all those who witnessed it, as the fixture holds a proud place in the Champions Cup’s storied history.

For Wasps, the win over Munster set up a final against Toulouse, and while they were the underdogs in the final, Dallaglio found it hard to believe their victory. "The final that year, you can't write it, can you really? We were playing against Toulouse, who had a budget of about 15 million for their squad, and we had a budget of about 3 million for ours, and I was probably earning two-thirds of that." The match, and Wasps' eventual 27-20 victory, still stands as one of the most impressive upsets in Champions Cup history.

"It was a lot of fun, and the Rob Howley moment goes down, as you know, in Champions Cup history," Dallaglio said, referencing one of the most iconic yet bizarre match-winning tries in the competition's legacy. "But you know, when I looked at the fixture list there, every fixture raises a memory somewhere down the line." This game, and the tournament itself, remains a highlight of Dallaglio's career.

Dallaglio's career saw him face off against some of the most formidable teams in European rugby, with the powerhouses of Toulouse and Leinster ringing in his mind. He spoke of the challenge of taking on such titans of the tournament, particularly Toulouse, who have long been an affluent team packed with international talent.

"There's so many great teams that we played against," Dallaglio reflected. "I mean, we were undone a couple of times by Toulouse in matches away from home in the Thierry Dusatoir era. The back row we played at Twickenham against Toulouse (2004 Final), every single player in their team was a well-decorated international player. The whole bench was full of internationals, so I think you’re almost playing some teams in Leinster or Toulouse, you’re almost playing against an international side."

Despite also enduring some challenging losses on the European stage, Dallaglio maintained a sense of pride for the battles that he had fought alongside his Wasps brothers in arms. "Some amazing memories really. Games that we lost, I mean, we should have beat Northampton at Franklin's Gardens many years ago (2000 Quarter Final – 25-22 defeat). We hit the bar with a conversion, and missed the next penalty, but that's the way it goes, you've got to take the chances." He also recalled a quarter-final loss to French outfit Castres that haunted him. "We lost to Castres at home in a quarter-final at Loftus Road back in the day. They went on to get to the final, and then they got beaten by Leicester in the final."

When Dallaglio spoke about Wasps' first Champions Cup victory, however, his voice held unmistakable reverence. "I genuinely mean it that, yes, I've been lucky enough to win a World Cup and play international rugby, but winning that competition, certainly the first one we ever won, against Toulouse at Twickenham, which was by chance, more than anything else, probably one of the best experiences, really, of our (Wasps) career."

As European rugby has evolved, so too have the budgets of the clubs involved. Dallaglio is quick to acknowledge the challenges that the English clubs face, with competing against sides like Toulouse, Leinster, and other top European clubs.

"The nature of this competition, the way that it’s structured over the weekend and how it’s played, there is an element of you clearly have to have a competitive squad," Dallaglio explained. "I'm not going to shy away from the financial equation of budgets in the Premiership versus budgets of Europe or France and the likes of Ireland. You're coming up against the likes of Toulouse and Leinster, you're playing teams that have got a significantly bigger budget. That's not an excuse, it's a fact."

Dallaglio went on to explain how an English club can compete despite these financial disparities. "So what you need in this competition is you need a run where you have a little bit of good fortune, really. If you’re an English club, you get off to a good start, you then have to get to the other side of the Six Nations, and you have to have a squad that’s fit, and injuries don't impact your performance in the latter stages of this competition."

The newly announced Premier Sports pundit has been encouraged by the recent performances of English clubs like Bath and Exeter. "I think Bath, to me, are a growing force. They were very strong last year, they were a little bit lucky with the red card in the (Premiership) final. Probably the better team that day, but for what I've seen this season, Finn Russell seems to have brought a little bit more freedom to some of their players.

“They've got a nice balance between that kind of well-drilled forward outfit with Johann van Graan and their forwards coach, but then they've got Lee Blackett, who was desperate to let the shackles off a little bit and play in that kind of way that he played with Wasps and Scarlets."

He also praised teams like Harlequins for their resilience, and pointed to the remarkable run they made in the previous season's Champions Cup, as the Londoners reached the semi-finals for the first time. "Last year showed me, or proved to me, and probably everyone else that actually, it is possible to compete, even if you’re not competing financially. I thought the performances of Bath at times in the competition, Exeter ended up getting beaten by them in the quarter-finals."

Dallaglio ended on an optimistic note, noting the improvements seen in English sides and his growing confidence in their ability to compete with Europe's best.

"I'm a little bit more encouraged this year than I was in previous years," he admitted. "Even when not financially dominant, English clubs can still compete if they're given a bit of fortune and have the right players fit and firing." With English sides like Northampton and Harlequins making strides, Dallaglio believes that the future of English rugby in the Champions Cup looks bright.

As the 2024/25 season approaches, Dallaglio's reflections serve as a reminder that, even in the face of financial adversity, the spirit of European rugby is alive and well. And for English clubs, the road to success may not be easy, but it's definitely still possible.

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