Captain continually moving forward

Rugby Six Nations Championship: When Lawrence Dallaglio arrived back to his home in Petersham after winning the World Cup last summer, his two young daughters, Ella and Josie, were there to greet him. One of their first questions to the England back row was what he had done with all of the red men on his back.

It took some time for the player to work it out. He then remembered they had seen him score a try against Wales in Twickenham in 2000 with a significant portion of the Welsh team clawing at his jersey.

As ever, it was a tug back to reality and a reminder to Dallaglio that his recent elevation to the captain's throne following the retirement of Martin Johnson was just the latest example of his ability to shed old skin and overcome obstacles that for other characters might have caused careers to perish.

Fumbling the captaincy back in 1997 after allegations of a mixture of drug use and lusty women on the Lions tour made for Dallaglio's first downfall and Johnson's initial steps to the team captaincy. Two years later the British Sunday tabloid the News of The World, published details of Dallaglio's tale. The paper said the player had admitted to taking and dealing in drugs. He denied the story out of hand before backtracking, using the defence of bravado, misunderstanding and, not least of all, inexplicable stupidity.

Charges were brought against him but dropped less than 48 hours before his Twickenham hearing after new evidence emerged. Still, there was a fine of £15,000 for bringing the game into disrepute and £10,000 costs to face before Dallaglio fell on his sword. Although he was omitted from the pre-1999 World Cup tour to Australia, he returned to play a central role in the tournament under Johnson.

For an establishment player who had been educated at the prestigious Catholic college at Ampleforth, Dallaglio's fall from grace was acutely felt. But so, too, did he react with Benedictine fortitude and stoically returned to the trenches. Now 31 years old, he could easily be forgiven for feeling a sense of justice at the completion of the cycle.

"I think through your career, you always try to improve as a player and from my point of view, you also try to improve as a captain as well," he says. "You like to think you're a better player in different ways. You learn from victory and defeat. When I first joined Wasps as a player I was learning. I'm still learning now.

"On the rugby side I've something like 35 or 40 more caps than when I first took over. I like to think that I can use that experience a little bit better. I'm quite relaxed about it and I've enjoyed this year but I don't think I lack the competitive edge that is required at this level."

Having fallen to a serious knee injury at the end of the 2001 season and also having had to come to terms with the tragic death of his sister Francesca, who was killed in the Marchioness boat disaster on the Thames in 1989, it is as though Dallaglio's life challenge has regularly been to move on. That bearing he has carried with him into Clive Woodward's set-up and one of his jobs is now to take the team away from what could become a debilitating World Cup hangover.

"Our challenge as a team after the World Cup is to move on and try to take England to the next level. To be brutally honest, we did win the World Cup without necessarily playing our best rugby. We did what was required to win the games. We all feel there is a lot of potential to be fulfilled within the squad.

"In terms of performance, the result is what counts and we did that. It is about winning games and winning tends to give you momentum. We must be doing something right to have won 25 out of the last 26 matches. You can't go changing an enormous amount but if you look at certain areas, there is room for improvement. We probably played better rugby prior to the World Cup than we did in the World Cup."

For England and Dallaglio their performance against Italy this weekend will not be about the scoreline. The style and effectiveness of the team will be judged in terms of world champion giants against Six Nations undergraduates. England may run in 70 points but under Woodward's forensic eye, players will be removed if they are seen to accept a standard unbecoming the Webb Ellis trophy holders.

"It's always tough playing for England because we know that everybody wants to beat England," he says. "When you go to a tournament as number one, probably the favourites and world champions, that makes it harder. The World Cup was a very good indication that teams saved their very best for England. There was no doubt about that. South Africa were probably the best example. They threw everything at England and were then very disappointing against New Zealand. The game was over in the first 10 minutes, which was very unusual for that fixture.

"There was no doubt that everyone from South Africa through Samoa, Wales and Australia played phenomenally well against England and it's going to be no different now. I know how I'd feel playing against the world champions. I'd want a piece of them. That's the challenge Clive, myself and the rest of the squad face."

Another will be to gel the team and lead players, as Johnson was able to during his tenure. It was evident throughout the former captain's time that England without him were a more vulnerable side than England with him.

Perhaps those in the know about Johnson's post-World Cup retirement plans noticed, those who had been looking for an alternative to the lock during the competition in Australia. Maybe there was more than tactical expediency in the decision of the compulsively meticulous Woodward to select Dallaglio to play in all of England's seven World Cup games. He was the only player on the squad to do so.

"As always, I will be appointing the captain on a game-by-game basis, a philosophy I have maintained since I've been in charge," said Woodward.

As ever his compliment to Dallaglio in picking him as captain is balanced with a stinging warning. But the number eight is a player who has tasted the role and knows how to respond to its demands. More talkative than the taciturn Johnson and more able in front of cameras, Lawrence Bruno Nero Dallaglio also has a pitch demeanour and physical presence consistent with the job. He's tried and proven. Then again, Johnson has brought it up a notch.

If England stray into poor form, be sure that more than red shirts will be on the back of the captain of the world champions.