Dallaglio to sell 2003 World Cup medal after bankruptcy
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio is to sell his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner's medal after being declared bankrupt. The medal is expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 and headlines an auction of medals, trophies and caps from across his career, according to BBC.
The sale is scheduled for 13 October at Budds in Northamptonshire. Auctioneers have placed an estimated total value of £180,000 on the full collection. The lots span more than a decade at the top of the game.
Dallaglio was a member of the England side that beat hosts Australia to win the 2003 World Cup in Sydney. His winner's medal from that final is the star lot. The auction also includes his 1993 World Cup Sevens winner's medal, won in the seven-a-side version of rugby with smaller teams and shorter matches, and his medal from the 2003 Six Nations Championship, the annual tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
A British and Irish Lions cap is listed as well. The Lions are a combined touring team drawn from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that plays every four years. A cap marks an international appearance, and players traditionally receive a physical cap too. Budds has listed the 2003 Six Nations medal with an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000.
Dallaglio spoke about his bankruptcy during an appearance on The High Performance podcast. He said he was made bankrupt as a result of getting divorced. He also said he sought therapy after the divorce and bankruptcy.
Companies House filings reported by WalesOnline state he owed £423,570 in overdrawn director's loans linked to his now-defunct company. Earlier reporting said he owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in tax and tens of thousands of pounds to two other creditors at the time he was declared bankrupt. His World Cup winner's medal was presented to him in Sydney on 22 November 2003.
For fans, this means seeing one of English rugby's best-known careers broken up for sale. Players very rarely part with a World Cup winner's medal. That Dallaglio is doing so points to the personal strain he has described away from the pitch.
