Rugby World Cup Winner Lawrence Dallaglio O.B.E. is the latest illustrious guest of the Isle of Man Sporting & Dining Club.
The sporting icon will be the club's guest speaker on 29th April 2010, at a dinner held at the Mount Murray Hotel and Country Club.
Dallaglio has represented England at every level and has been recognised as one of the world's best back-row players in his day.
He first came to prominence as a 21-year-old loose forward and member of the triumphant England Rugby World Cup Sevens team at Murrayfield in 1993.
Dallaglio was signed by Wasps in 1990 after catching their eye as a promising England Colts player. He became Wasps Captain in 1995, when he was also voted the Rugby Football Unions’s Player of the Year.
Regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever back row forwards, Lawrence was the only player to play in every minute of every match during England’s successful 2003 campaign in Australia, when they were crowned World Champions.
He then succeeded the retired Martin Johnson as Captain (his second spell) for the next eight games.
Alongside Rory Underwood (85), Lawrence is the second most capped England player behind Jason Leonard (114).
He moved level with Underwood when coming on as a replacement in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final against South Africa – his second appearance in a Rugby World Cup final.
A one-club man, he has been – and was, as Captain – a driving force behind the ongoing success of Wasps. Lawrence never played in another set of club colours, arriving at Sudbury as a teenager.
Lawrence’s achievements with the club are also exceptional, having won a hat-trick of Premiership titles from 2002 to 2005, a Tetley’s Cup win in 2000 and two famous European Cup victories in 2004 and 2007.
His 18-year career with the club came to a fairy tale end in May 2008 when Wasps claimed the Premiership title, beating Leicester Tigers in his last ever professional game of Rugby.
Lawrence was recently awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list and he remains a figurehead for rugby around the world.
John Wannenburgh of the IOM Sporting & Dining Club, "Thanks again to HSBC’s support, the Club continues to attract the best in their field.
"Lawrence needs no introduction to our membership who I am sure will have a terrific evening entertaining their guests in the presence of a genuine icon of English Rugby."
Kevin Cartledge, Senior Manager at HSBC Isle of Man, principle sponsor of the Sporting & Dining Club, comments, "Lawrence Dallaglio is a true rugby legend and no doubt will provide us with a fascinating insight into the world of rugby and his own personal story.
"Lawrence’s ongoing involvement in charity work, particularly with children’s charities and more recently launching the Dallaglio Foundation, is inspirational and I am very much looking forward to the evening."
For ticket availability, please contact John Wannenburgh on 07624 49 57 49, or email john@sportinganddiningclub.com.
