One year has now passed since Dallaglio last scrummaged for London Wasps and over 2 years has passed since that faithful night in the Stade De France where he was to make his last appearence for England; ironically against the very team he debuted for England against, the current top ranked team in world rugby union, South Africa.
It is now time too look back on the legacy of an undoubted great of the game.
Although this piece in no way seeks to make a definitive assessment of Dallaglio's legacy within the game, perhaps it should be seen as hopefully a reflection of the tone future treatments of his career, successes and triumphs will take.
Without doubt, Dallaglio is one of the most decorated players in the modern game, particurlay in terms of the professional era in the Northern Hemisphere.
With 5 English Premiership titles, 3 Powergen Cups, 2 European cups, 4 six nations championships and a career pinnacle World Cup winner's medal, Dallaglio can look back at his medal haul with a level of satisfaction very, very few players have had or will have the privilege of having.
Of course like many other great sportsmen or women, the trophies, titles and medals are also a reminder of the sacrifices made to attain them.
In Dallaglio's case, a litany of troubles come to mind here, not least the highly controversial and potentially career destroying News of the World cocaine scandal in which he became mirred in whilst captaining his country for the first time.
The tragic loss of his sister in his teenage years in the Marchioness Disaster and later, the breakdown in his relationship with his spouse and mother of his 3 children also must spring to mind.
As he himself puts it: often rugby became more an "escape" and a "home from home" than a job or lifestyle as life went on.
Dallaglio is an unbelievably frank man at times, labelling himself an "emotional retard" and "indulgent" in his book. And you do get the impression, rugby often became a professional excuse of sorts for him not to deal with self-confessed, more important aspects of his life.
Do the personal troubles then add more colour or provide an unforgivable blot to his legacy as a great of the game?—I think the former.
Dallaglio was made to pay dearly for his foolhardiness as part of the 'honey-trap' the News of the World had prepared for him. He was stripped of the captaincy and fined (which he informs us he later got back, by way of apology from th ERU).
Although the ramifications of the "show-trial" set up by the ERU may have ended many an England career, Dallaglio eventually did take a paper to court winning damages and reparing his reputation somewhat. The retirement of Martin Johnson and his reinstatement as England captain was the final triumph in this sorry chapter, although bittersweet in itself as he was to retire, temporarily as it turned out, himself.
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