‘There’s going to be murder’ – words that motivated Lawrence Dallaglio’s Wasps

Always head up and chest out, Lawrence Dallaglio never took a backward step as the proudest of players for England, the Lions and Wasps.

As gladiatorial as they come, the No.8 had a warrior-like presence on the pitch and relished the heat of the battle. But since retiring, Dallaglio has made a living delivering punchy lines as a commentator rather than fighting fire with fire on the pitch and, this season, he will be part of the 32-strong team of talent assembled by Premier Sports, the new home of European rugby on TV.

Dallaglio achieved great things in his rugby career, not least winning the Rugby World Cup in 2003, captaining his country, and going on three British & Irish Lions tours, but the success he achieved in leading Wasps to Champions Cup glory remains right up there amongst his career highlights.

Everyone remembers the ‘Miracle of Munster’ semi-final match and the final win over Toulouse when Rob Howley pick-pocketed a dawdling Clement Poitrenaud, with Dallaglio himself describing that period between April and May 2004 as “some of the best days of my life”. One game, however, that also sticks out in his mind is the final pool game away to Perpignan, which they needed to win to secure a home quarter-final.

Caged in by the perimeter fencing at the Stade Aimé Giral, to keep over-zealous Catalan fans at bay, Wasps took the punishment and then meted out plenty of their own in dismantling the previous year’s runners-up, 33-6, with Dallaglio scoring late on to secure a favourable home tie against Gloucester at Adams Park.

“When you talk about my career highlights, people naturally think about 2003 and 1997 in a Lions jersey but, certainly, in some of these games that I played in – Munster away in front of 40-odd thousand at Lansdowne Road, and three weeks later against Toulouse in the final, they were some of the best days of my life," Dallaglio said.

“European rugby is almost like an international in terms of intensity and it's almost better in terms of the crowd atmosphere. I’m sure it is still the same, playing in the south-west of France, away from home in a pool match or a knockout match, has probably been some of the hardest and some of the most rewarding and fulfilling and amazing atmospheres that I have ever played in.

“The Perpignan game was one we had to win to be certain of qualifying. We turned up on Wednesday for a Saturday game because Warren Gatland wanted us to feel the atmosphere. I remember picking up the local newspaper, and their coach, who was under a lot of pressure at the time, was saying there was going to be murder on the pitch this weekend and that sort of thing.

“So it was a lively fixture put it this way. I think there were a record number of citings, most from Perpignan. What I do remember is that we managed to win and, in the end, because they were chasing the game, we won comfortably. With five minutes to go, we were on course to play Stade Francais but I scored a try and we got Gloucester at home.

“It was very hostile, there was a capacity crowd, but we got a standing ovation from all the Perpignan fans when we left the field.”

Dalalglio added: "Games like these in these countries – and you can add South Africa into that now as well – when you play away from home, are a great experience, ones you very rarely in your domestic league, or even in international rugby.

“Whenever I have been lucky enough to commentate on the tournament, which I have ever since I retired, it always evokes the memories that I was lucky enough to have.”

Twenty years after he lifted the Champions Cup for the first time, a feat he repeated in 2007, the former Wasps captain still feels just as excited by the prospect of another season of what he describes as ‘international rugby in club jerseys’.

“It feels a bit different this year: it’s got a new broadcast partner, which brings new energy and some new voices to the competition and I am dead excited to be a part of that team; it’s got a newish format, and I think the Round of 16 brings an extra round of jeopardy and gives it a bit of a boost, and the South African involvement still feels very new.”

But will there be a new name on the trophy next year, after Toulouse captured a record sixth title in 2023?

“If I were to put my money on it, I would say it is going to take a hell of a team to beat Toulouse, because they are still the same team as they were, and the hunger and ambition to get better and better doesn’t seem to diminish. They’re not quite at the Pep Guardiola Man City point, where they have won four in a row and don’t have the same hunger and ambition, they are still on the up as opposed to a team that is flatlining. They're the ones that set the gold standard and they're the team to beat in my opinion.”

As for English interest, Dallaglio is tipping Bath to lead the charge and improve on last year’s Round of 16 exit at the hands of Exeter.

"If there is a team that’s going to do well from England, probably Bath stand the best possible chance given the form they are in currently, and also because of the squad that they have and the coaching the group they’ve got. They seem to have a nice balance in their game.

“Last week’s game (a scrappy 19-15 win over Exeter) shows that they can win games when they’re nowhere near their best.

"Sometimes going into this competition, when standards are expected to be top draw, it’s not a bad thing. As a captain of Wasps and I am sure my coaches would agree, a slightly below-par performance and a win when you have to work really hard for it, is often a really good thing ahead of a massive game like the opener of the Champions Cup because it keeps feet firmly on the floor.

"They’ll certainly be looking to go one step further than they did last year."

Lawrence Dallaglio is part of the Premier Sports team bringing every game live from the Investec Champions Cup. He joins the stellar Premier Sports team for opening night at The Rec for Bath v Stade Rochelais alongside Martin Bayfield, Simon Zebo, John Barclay, Andy Goode, Nick Heath and Ryan Wilson on Friday night with live coverage from 7.30pm on Premier Sports 1. Visit: www.premiersports.tv to sign-up.