Lawrence Dallaglio came clean about his injury turmoil (Image: Andy Commins)
Former captain Lawrence Dallaglio opened up about his struggles with injuries sustained during his career, revealing he still has “surgeons on speed dial.” Dallaglio won the four times and was a key part of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning team.
The 52-year-old hung up his rugby boots in 2008, having for his country while cementing himself as a legend at the now-defunct London Wasps. However, an ACL tear in 2001 threatened to end his career prematurely.
A broken ankle in 2005 required reconstructive surgery and bolting into place, adding to his injury woes. Dallaglio has now disclosed just how tough such are to overcome and what he learned during his ordeals.
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“I’m 52 and I’ve got surgeons on speed dial pretty much – I’ve had 15 operations throughout my career,” Dallaglio admitted, speaking on the podcast. “You don’t mind the smaller ones, where at the end of the season you need your knee [sorted out] so you’re ready for next season.
“It’s more about avoiding the bigger ones – I did my ACL in 2001, which is a hard eight or nine months, but it taught me a lot. I said to the manager that I can’t come into the club every day – it’s going to drive me mad.
“Everyone is going to ask me about my knee, and I just needed some time away from the club. I had my own physio and everything, and I came back after about four months.
“Mentally, you’ve got to get yourself right. You learn so much when you get injured, and you come back a much stronger player. Then I had the ankle issue in New Zealand.”
Dallaglio won the Six nations four times with England (Image: Getty)
Speaking three years ago, Dallaglio delved into the details of the knee injury that almost derailed his career, revealing how time away from rugby can reignite a player’s passion for the game. The former Wasps star suffered the devastating injury in a clash against Bath, which led to him missing the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2001, reports .
Dallaglio opened up to Toulouse’s Jack Willis on his documentary series The Rebuild 2.0: “Not that you ever want one, but sometimes you need an injury just to hit the pause button and go, ‘where is my career going, where is my life going, what am I doing on the pitch?’
“I would always say to people if your life is rugby, then when you haven’t got rugby, you are going to have some serious issues. Your friends never get to be your friends when you are a rugby player because the only time they see you is when they come and watch you, and even then they can’t chat to you because everyone else wants to chat to you.
“When you are in rehab, you’re in rehab. All I know is it’s a brutal process. I found it really tough. Some of the stuff, learning to run again, walking again, learning to do all the things again that you just take for granted. It makes you a much stronger player and you really appreciate the game more when you come back from that.”