Dallaglio's 2003 World Cup medal sells for £54,000

Lawrence Dallaglio's 2003 Rugby World Cup winner's medal has sold for £54,000 at auction.

The former England captain put medals, trophies and caps from his playing career up for sale after being declared bankrupt, BBC Sport reported.

The medal was the centrepiece of a 22-lot sale billed as "The Lawrence Dallaglio Collection". It had been listed with an estimate of £50,000 to £80,000 and was presented to Dallaglio on 22 November 2003, according to ESPN. It sold inside that range.

Other pieces from his England days also found buyers. His British and Irish Lions cap, the honour given to players picked for the combined Britain and Ireland touring team, made £11,000. His England cap, awarded for playing for the national team, fetched £8,000.

His winner's medal from the 2003 Six Nations Championship, the annual tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, sold for £7,500. That was the same year England lifted the World Cup.

Not everything sold. His medals for four Premiership title wins with Wasps, England's top club league, went unsold. The wider collection had been given an estimated value of £180,000. The items that did sell raised £100,500.

The auction was held at Budd's in Northamptonshire. Graham Budd Auctions, a specialist in sports memorabilia, handled the sale.

Dallaglio said he was made bankrupt as a result of getting divorced. He had put the collection up for sale after that ruling.

For fans, this means a piece of English rugby history now belongs to someone else. The 2003 World Cup win remains England's only men's title in the tournament, and the medals from that campaign rarely come up for sale.