Rugby Union: Tales of an awesome hitman

Lawrence of England: Five witnesses to the qualities that brought Dallaglio the captaincy of his country

The teacher

John Willcocks

Former England international. First XV coach, and master, at Dallaglio's old school Ampleforth College.

Lawrence has kept in touch with the school since he left. He is not a great letter writer, but he has never forgotten us and he pops up at odd times in unexpected places - a bit like when he is on the pitch probably. I cannot lay claim to having spotted his potential in the first place; that happened at Under-14 level. But perhaps I can take some credit for the stunning tackler he has become. He was playing No 8 against Newcastle RGS and he missed a tackle down the blind-side, one I felt he should have made. I remember giving him a real blasting about it. He was always assured and confident. He was a member of the Ampleforth Sevens team which did the double of the Festival and the Open in the 1989 Rosslyn Park Schools Sevens tournament. I recall we were trailing with two minutes to go in a quarter-final. We needed one try to win it. I was helplessly watching and thinking that was that. Lawrence caught my eye and gave me a nod. I nodded back. I knew what that nod signified. It was telling me not to worry, we were going to win, and sure enough we did.

The cLub coach

Nigel Melville

Wasps director of rugby, who handed the captaincy to Dallaglio when he was just 23 after Rob Andrew and Dean Ryan had led an exodus of senior players to Newcastle.

The pitfalls of international captaincy are more likely to be found off the field than on it. There is always a danger of getting carried away. But somehow I don't think that is going to happen with Lawrence. First, he is too level-headed, but also the club will not let it. When everyone turned up on Thursday morning I think Lawrence got a reasonable idea of how much more important he is. We have a system of fines at the club - a totting-up thing over a month. Anyone accumulating more than three points has to pay one appearance fee. The cash goes into the players' end-of-season kitty. Lawrence turned up, his picture splashed over every newspaper, his name hot off the press and big in the headlines. And he was fined - for being appointed England captain. He got three points and will now have to pay the equivalent of one England match fee - well, it's a lot more than Wasps fork out. We will not let anyone, no matter how big they may be, get too carried away. Lawrence knows we will make sure his feet stay on the ground.

The opponent

Andy Robinson

Former England international and captain of Bath, he is now coach at the West Country club. The opponent Dallaglio rates as the toughest he has faced.

I can remember getting kicked in the back by Lawrence in the 1995 Pilkington Cup final. Admittedly, I had spent the whole of the match off-side and I knew I was irritating him. In the end I suppose he got so pissed off that he did what he did. In fact, he is a tremendous player. Or rather, a tremendous blindside flanker. That is his natural position. He can really tackle, not just hitting the man but timing it, and invariably he is on his feet and heading off to make another. Going forward he has great hands and uses his head. A lot of big men look good going forward, but not all of them can think about what they are doing. But I have to say I used to enjoy playing against him when he was on the open side, because he was not comfortable there. I think the biggest compliment I could ever pay him is that two years ago I was very keen to sign him. At the time we put a lot of pressure on and offered him a lot of money, but being the honourable man that he is, he decided to stay at Sudbury. He is one of the straightest men I know.

The LIONS coach

Ian McGeechan

Coached the Lions to their historic series win in South Africa last summer.

I have to say at the outset that I chose Martin Johnson as Lions captain and I would do so again; but Lawrence displays the same qualities as a leader that I saw in Martin. They are very much alike. They are very strong characters. Both have the respect of the players around them and, just as importantly, the respect of those against whom they play. Lawrence was very good in the way he supported Martin throughout the tour. It was a quality experience for all the guys. I think a lot of young players came back wiser and better men for the experience. Lawrence is a very positive and a very competitive player. The one thing he will understand after South Africa is when players are being worked too hard; he will know when they need a rest and he will tell the England management so. That is one facet of another of his gifts, communication. Lawrence is a very good communicator, on and off the pitch. It is vital for a captain to appreciate and understand the style, strategy and philosophy of the management in the training so that it can be communicated to the team out in the intensity of a match.

The club colleague

Michael 'Buster' White

Back-row veteran of 13 seasons with Wasps. Also the rugby sports marketing manger for Nike, to whom Dallaglio is contracted.

At Nike we call Lawrence our top contracted athlete which implies that he is good at all sports. Well he is, very nearly. The boys and I have discovered that there is one he isn't good at - golf. He might be described as an unhappy hacker. Lol's efforts with a club - perhaps bat would be a more appropriate description because of the way he uses it - provide us with a fund of amusement. I also have the dubious honour of rooming with him on away trips. Now, he doesn't snore, but he does talk in his sleep. Lately his daughter Ella has begun teething and she has kept Lawrence and Alice awake and while he is sleeping he jabbers away: "It's OK Alice, it's my turn to feed." Stuff like that. The boys love it when we show up at breakfast, they can't wait to hear the latest instalment of this little "soap". But I must say that in spite of the stern image Lol displays when he is playing, there is a caring side to him; he is a very good guy.

Interviews: David Llewellyn