Dallaglio: “Pick people for what they can do, and not what they can’t”

Jamie Hosie caught up with Lawrence Dallaglio to talk all things England, including players based abroad, Sir Clive Woodward and one player in particular that should have made the cut – in his opinion.

Jamie Hosie: It’s been done to death already, but we probably need to discuss it so let’s get it out of the way – outline your thoughts on Lancaster’s rejection of all France-based players for the World Cup squad. Is he right to leave out the likes of Abendanon and Armitage?

Lawrence Dallaglio: The rules are very simple. It’s important that if you want to play for England, you play your rugby in this country. Those two players have both been playing very well, and would be under consideration, but will only be selected if they negotiate a move back here. The precedent they would set by picking them is one that they cannot afford. There are a lot of England players that are playing in this country for that very reason.

Wales are bringing all of their players back, so there’s a very clear indication that there are plenty of issues over not having ownership of your players. You should not be taking a sabbatical to go and play for England, you should be taking a sabbatical to play in another country. There are a lot of guys who probably decided against moving abroad specifically because they wanted to play for England.

JH: Your old hunting ground, the back-row, looks like an immensely competitive area for selection in the wider England squad, but were you surprised that Dave Ewers didn’t make it given his mammoth season in the Premiership?

LD: He’s picked up a little injury recently but he’s had a very good season. He’s a key player at Exeter and has a very bright future, both at club level and possibly higher. But picking uncapped players for the World Cup is unusual, when you’ve got more experienced players to choose from. At the moment, Stuart Lancaster has put together a large squad – there’s no reason to whittle it down until you have to – but he’s got the option of trimming, or adding, as he sees fit, and players will be training incredibly hard.

I’m sure there will be movement in and out of the squad before the final 31 are announced. It’s disappointing for Ewers, but the back row will always be hugely competitive position for England. Unfortunately that means quality players like Ewers have missed out.

JH: Indeed, Lancaster made a point when announcing the squad that it was far from final, and there was time for other guys to come in – particularly perhaps those more experienced guys that have been injured. He mentioned Tom Croft, a player who is perennially injured, specifically – what would you make of it if he just came back in for the World Cup, at the expense of someone playing regularly?

LD: It would be a tough call but at this stage Lancaster won’t want to rule anything out. Tom Croft’s ability and experience – having played for Leicester, England and the Lions in big matches – will count in his favour. The fact that he hasn’t played a huge amount of rugby then goes against him.

The interesting thing from a management point of view is that in terms of competitive match time, there’s not a huge amount between now and the World Cup itself. Stuart will have a look at players in those game situations, but he’s going to have to make some big calls without necessarily seeing them in action that much. The onus is really on the players to step up whenever they go training.

JH: One man stood out from the crowd of uncapped players named in the wider squad – can Sam Burgess be an asset to England at this World Cup?

LD: He’s been playing some good rugby at flanker – there’s a lot of versatility there. Mike Ford’s priority is to make Bath the best side in England, not to make England the best side in the world, and if he feels like Burgess is their number one choice ahead of a lot of other good players, I think that tells you everything you need to know about it.

He’s got that big game mentality, he’s a leader and he’s got presence. When he walks into a room, he commands the room, and that makes a difference. He’s someone that, because of what he’s done, people admire and look up to, in a squad that’s not brimming with experience. He’s got a belief, and a winning mentality, and that’s infectious – as a coach, you can never really have enough of that.

JH: Is Christian Wade unlucky to miss out? At a certain point do we need to stop focussing on his defensive lapses but rather his attacking brilliance?

LD: I’m a big fan of his. It’s a competitive position, but he can do things that no other person in England can do on a rugby field. His time will come, I genuinely believe that. It’s a shame the coaches don’t feel that he’s part of their plan now – at some point you have to pick people for what they can do, and not what they can’t do.

JH: You played under Clive Woodward for a long time – he’s been heavily linked with the France job, do you think that’s a move that could ever work?

LD: I don’t know how much truth there is to this story – obviously it’s appeared in the press but we’re only speculating. I noticed that Clive’s name is on a longlist – Clive doesn’t strike me as the sort of guy that would put his name on a longlist, his name would be on a shortlist wouldn’t it? It looked quite speculative to me…

JH: I think he’s on a shortlist of eight people – from what I can understand, he got in touch with them [the FFR] and put his name forward.

LD: A shortlist of eight people doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that Clive Woodward would do, really. He might like to be considered on a shortlist of four or five people, or three… But then he’s a coach at the highest level, so you could certainly understand – and I can’t speak on his behalf – why other people would want his signature.

Video credit: Aviva UK

JH: And last but by no means least, tell us a bit about the Rugby Matters documentary you’ve appeared in?

LD: Sure – it’s a programme we’re working on at the moment with Aviva, along with the Dallaglio Foundation, that helps young people change their lives through the platform and inherent values of rugby. It gives the self-belief and opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and aims to make them more employable, socially responsible and helps turn their life around. It’s something I’m immensely proud of and hope to keep growing.

Lawrence Dallaglio is one of the stars of Rugby Matters, a new documentary from Aviva that demonstrates the power of rugby and community spirit in the build-up to the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final. Watch the film at youtube.com/AvivaUK.