Happy as Larry

Rugby players come in all shapes and sizes, even if the small ones are now big, strapping and muscle-bound, but when it comes to characters most are only two-dimensional at best. Jonny Wilkinson is the nearest thing the game has to a Beckham-style icon. He is wonderfully talented, admirably dedicated, but also somewhat dull. It is difficult to warm to a man who takes several hours out of his Christmas Day to practise goal-kicking.

If you prefer your rugby heroes with a dash of showbiz, a depth of character and a bit of devil, then you must have been heartened to see Lawrence Dallaglio’s name in England’s squad of 30 players who are about to defend the World Cup in France.

His inclusion has completed the most astonishing of sporting comebacks. Until this summer Dallaglio had not started an England game for three years. He badly broke an ankle in 2005, struggled to recover and, as he approached his 35th birthday earlier this year, pretty much admitted the game was up.