England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio selling World Cup medal after bankruptcy as entire collection goes to auction
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio is selling his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner's medal after being declared bankrupt.
Dallaglio was a key part of securing England’s win at the 2003 World Cup, which saw them take on Australia in a nail-biting final.
After retiring from the sport in 2008, Dallaglio has kept himself busy by turning to punditry.
However, last year, he was declared bankrupt after it was revealed he owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the HM Revenue and others.
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Speaking about his money troubles on the The High Performance podcast earlier this year, he said: “As a result of getting divorced, I was made bankrupt. I had some financial problems.
“And I probably was guilty of withdrawing back into my little shell and going a little bit into hibernation because, naturally, I’m quite a sort of extrovert, confident, bubbly individual – annoyingly confident sometimes.
“What I didn’t expect was so much of a period of such self-pity. I’ve been a little bit guilty of being a bit sort of, ‘Isn’t life really unkind?’ and ‘Haven’t things worked out against me? Is it all me or is it just bad timing?’”
He went on to say that he ‘could have done things a lot better’.
“Might not have got divorced,” he continued. “I could have been one of those people that just parks all the real feelings and just carries on and lives a lie. I don’t know. Maybe I could have carried on doing that.”
Months on, the 54-year-old has decided to sell-off his collection of medals, trophies and caps.
In total, he’s flogging 22 items via auctioneer Budds, which has dubbed it the ‘Lawrence Dallaglio Collection’ with the description: “The following lots 90 to 111 were presented to World Cup-winning rugby union England international Lawrence Dallaglio.”
His World Cup medal is listed with an estimate of between £50,000 and £80,000 by Budds.
On the listing for the World Cup winner’s medal Budds writes: “It was presented to Dallaglio on November 22, 2003 in Sydney, following victory in the Rugby World Cup final against host nation Australia.
“England defeated Australia 20-17 after extra time. It was the pinnacle of world rugby and the singular greatest achievement in English rugby history.”
The whole collection is estimated to be worth £180,000, with items including Dallaglio’s British and Irish Lions cap (valued at £5,500), an England cap (estimated to be worth £8,000), and three league titles with Wasps (which come with a valuation of £8,000 each).
There’s also a 2003 Six Nations winner’s medal, estimated to fetch £5,000, and a 2007 Rugby World Cup runners-up medal, with a value of £10,000.
Among the items are a 2003 Six Nations winner’s medal, medals from his successful club career with Wasps and a British and Irish Lions cap.
If you fancy getting hold of a piece of sporting history, the Lawrence Dallaglio Collection is set to go under the hammer on 13 October in Northamptonshire.
Claire Reid