Jonny Wilkinson tried to advise Lawrence Dallaglio against his Wembley slip-up in 1999 (Image: Mark Leech/Getty Images)
England icon Lawrence Dallaglio has opened up about the moment he felt the urge to “kung fu” kick a rival fan after being spat on. The incident unfolded following ‘s heart-wrenching 32-31 defeat by at Wembley in 1999, where Dallaglio had captained his team to a harrowing loss.
The result was particularly bitter as it denied England the Grand Slam in the final edition of the Five Nations. And the title instead went to – one of their fiercest adversaries – after they beat France on the tournament’s last day.
It was Dallaglio who made the pivotal decision to kick for a line-out instead of a penalty kick. That decision ultimately cost England the match, and it ended up being his last game as skipper of the Red Rose.
He expressed regret over the ordeal on the first episode of the podcast (via ): “We lost because of my decision, but we gave away so many penalties in the first half…and Johnny [Wilkinson] goes, ‘You sure that’s the right call?’ And to be fair, he backed me. He probably should have said, ‘No, Lol, change your mind.’ But anyway he backed me!
“It was a terrible decision, and do you know what made it ever worse? It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had as a player, when I had to walk all the way back off the pitch with my mates, and not only had Wales beaten us in Wembley. . .it meant Scotland won the last-ever Five Nations title.
“And I was walking off down the tunnel, I knew it was all down to me really. And this Welsh supporter gobbed on me, straight in my face. Massive greenie straight in my face. It’s moments like that that make you think, ‘I understand why Eric Cantona did what he did.’ I felt like just kung-fuing him!”
Dallaglio looked back on the result as the worst moment of his career – and then a fan spat on him (Image: Sky Sports)
Dallaglio’s tenure as England captain came to an abrupt end following a News of the World exposé, which alleged he had admitted to dealing drugs in his youth and using cocaine during the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Despite the controversy, his career continued to flourish as he participated in two more Lions tours and helped lead England to the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
England are preparing to launch their campaign against reigning champions on Saturday, a team they overcame last year. Dallaglio’s reflections serve as a reminder of the intense emotions experienced by players when things don’t go their way.
“I walked into the dressing room, and it was like death,” he continued. “There were grown men in tears. I didn’t speak to anyone for six or seven days afterwards, I didn’t leave the house.”