Nocturnal 
Lawrence Dallaglio is selling his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner’s medal, with the item expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 at auction. The former England captain, 54, was declared bankrupt last year following his divorce, and has now put a string of career memorabilia under the hammer.
Dallaglio was one of the stars of the England side that beat Australia 20-17 in extra time in Sydney in 2003, a match settled by Jonny Wilkinson’s famous drop goal. As the BBC reports, he played every minute of that final at number eight, and the medal from the occasion is now the headline lot in a much wider sale of his rugby career.
What’s being sold
Alongside the World Cup winner’s medal, Dallaglio is auctioning his runners-up medal from the 2007 World Cup, where England lost 15-6 to South Africa in the final, valued at around £10,000. His 2003 Six Nations Championship winner’s medal is estimated at £5,000, while a British and Irish Lions cap could fetch £5,500 and an England cap around £8,000.
The lot also includes individual awards from two European Cup and three league title wins with Wasps, each estimated at roughly £8,000, plus a number of Player of the Year awards. In total, the collection has been valued at up to £180,000, as first reported by the BBC and the Daily Mail. The auction is being run by Budds in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and takes place on 13 October.
Bankruptcy and financial troubles
Dallaglio was declared bankrupt last year after divorcing his wife, Alice, according to The Sun. The family home in Richmond was sold for £2.4million following the split, and he was ordered to hand over his share of the proceeds to help clear an overdrawn directors’ loan reportedly worth more than £366,500.
It isn’t the first time his finances have hit the headlines. Talksport reports that Dallaglio previously avoided bankruptcy in 2023 by agreeing to pay off debts including £700,000 in unpaid tax. Reports cited by Talksport say his bankruptcy restrictions were extended earlier this year after he allegedly continued spending on a “lavish lifestyle” without setting money aside for tax or maintenance payments to his ex-wife — a claim that remains unconfirmed beyond those reports.
Speaking on The High Performance podcast earlier this month, Dallaglio addressed his situation directly. “As a result of getting divorced, I was made bankrupt,” he said. “I had some financial problems – I could’ve done things a lot better.” He also revealed he sought therapy after the divorce and bankruptcy left him “wallowing in self-pity”, according to the BBC.
Rugby website Ruck claims Dallaglio is set to become the second member of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning squad to sell his winner’s medal, though the identity of the other player selling theirs has not been confirmed.
Where things stand
Dallaglio, who won 85 caps for England and made 341 appearances for Wasps across an 18-year career, retired from the game in 2008 and has since worked as a rugby pundit for talkSPORT. His medals, caps and awards remain listed for sale ahead of the Budds auction on 13 October, with bidding expected to draw significant interest given his standing as one of English rugby’s most decorated players.
