First News

As much as I’d love to talk about England, Ireland are probably the team that command the most respect at this moment in time. They’re the Grand Slam champions, they’re the Heineken Cup champions in Leinster, and they come into this competition fairly settled. They’ve got good leadership with the likes of Paul O’ Connell and Brian O’ Driscoll, so I think that they are the standout team. But, it will be interesting to see how they cope with being the hunted, rather than the hunter.

How about Wales?

The Welsh have got good form in the Six Nations, being Grand Slam champions two years ago, but they’re not without their injury problems at the moment. They’re obviously well-coached, by Gatland and Edwards, and they will get better as the tournament goes on. But I think England’s chances of beating them in their first game are probably their best. But I’ve got a feeling that Scotland will be dark horses for this year’s championship. Although they probably haven’t got the firepower to win the competition, they could trouble some of the bigger teams, and put a big dent in some people’s championship hopes. Especially with three games at home, they’ll be a difficult side to play against.

What about the other teams?

The age-old question about the French is: can they reproduce the sort of form that we know they can at home? Can they do that away from home? And if Italy win one game, it’s a success isn’t it, really? If they win two, it’ll be an absolutely phenomenal season.

And your old team?

I know people have been laughing at me, but I genuinely think that England will do very well in this Six Nations, and I say this for a number of reasons. One, because they can’t do any worse, and that is not a bad starting point. Secondly, because they have a coaching side who know that they are in a results-driven business, and it is time to start getting some results. Their players will be fiercely determined. Many of them missed out on selection for the British and Irish Lions, quite rightly, and therefore will be fresh and motivated. I also think that the fixture list has been quite kind to them this year. They play two of the best sides, Wales and Ireland, at home. So for those reasons, I am quietly optimistic about England’s chances. They will certainly have a big, big say in what happens in this year’s Six Nations.

There’s always a lot of talk about England’s fly-half. Who would you have in there?

Well, there is no debate at the moment: it’s Jonny Wilkinson. It’s great to see Toby Flood back from injury, and we all hope that Danny Cipriani will add his name into the mix in the not too distant future. With Danny, it’s unfair to talk about him in England terms yet. The guy had a broken ankle last season, and he’s had a broken leg this season. He’s started to get back to the sort of form that we know he’s capable of, and I’m sure that once he puts in that sort of performance on a week-by-week basis, he will come into Martin Johnson’s thoughts.

There’s been a lot of talk in the game lately about scrums and too much kicking in the game. Do you think anything needs to be changed?

I’m not sure about my interpretation of scrums. I used to just hang on at the back, to be honest! What you have to remember is that the game of rugby is quite gladiatorial. It is a game for all different shapes and sizes, and some people like 55 scrums a match, and some people like seeing lots of tries scored. I think the game has to appeal to each and every one of our likes and dislikes. There’s a little bit too much kicking going on at the moment for my liking, but I think the game is in good shape, and you either like rugby or you don’t. It’s one of those sports, isn’t it, really? If you don’t like it, there are plenty of other sports to watch, but if you do like it, you like to see a proper game of rugby, don’t you? The beauty of it is that you can be beaten by skill and you can be beaten by force. That’s the lovely thing about rugby, so long may it continue.

We spoke to Lawrence ahead of his Cycle Slam challenge, where he will be cycling to every Six Nations venue. The ride will benefit lots of great charities, so to find out more or donate, head to www.dallagliocycleslam.com or www.sportrelief.com. The net proceeds raised will be split evenly between the Dallaglio Foundation and Sport Relief.

Lawrence picture by Rob Baalham