"Its a shame" - Lawrence Dallaglio reveals the overlooked player he wanted on the Lions Tour

Dallaglio has since revealed how he thought that former England international Jack Willis was more than deserving of a run in the famous red jersey. Whilst the back row has not featured in a Test match since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Willis has hit a game-breaking level of form with Stade Toulousain in France. This past season, the 14-capped England ex-pat beat his Toulouse teammate Thomas Ramos and Bayonne centre Sireli Maqala to be named Top 14 Player of the Year, yet this still did not garner Willis' selection for the British & Irish Lions tour.

Instead of selecting Willis for one of the available back row slots upon the tour, Andy Farrell opted for the cohort of England's Tom Curry, Henry Pollock and Ben Earl, Wales captain Jac Morgan and the Ireland trio of Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan upon the opening squad announcement.

Dallaglio spoke at the EPCR season launch event in Teddington, about how Jack Willis was unfortunate to not get a spot upon the tour this past Summer. Despite not making the grade for the Lions, Dallaglio is excited to see Willis back tearing up the Champions Cup, as the tournament kicks off next month.

"Well, I mean, listen, I'm a bit biased, but Jack Willis is obviously European Player of the Year. It's a shame We don't see him in a white shirt [for England], or a red one last summer [for the Lions] in fact. I'm really looking forward to seeing him play. Yeah, he's my standout really." Dallaglio said at the Lensbury Hotel.

"He's a player that, I think as English fans and as supporters, you're really excited to watch him play. Unfortunately, it's not in a white jersey and there's arguments around that. But, he seems to be getting better and better, doesn't he? He's making up for lost time, who'd have thought, not only would he be at Toulouse but he'd be captain of Toulouse most of the time.

"He's the first choice on the team sheet and an outstanding player. He went to France with a reputation to be a jackler, but he's still there, he signed a new deal, and there is so much more to his game now. So, he's really probably one of the best players in the whole of the world at the minute. I'm obviously a bit biassed, but I do like watching him play."

Dallaglio's self-admitted bias towards the outstanding success of Jack Willis stems from the shared club connection with Wasps. Willis has come a long way from Wasps' downfall in 2022 to now captaining Stade Toulousain to the Top 14 title, with his contract understandably extended to remain in the South of France for the foreseeable future.

Turning the clock back to Dallaglio's playing days, the Wasps legend spoke to RUCK about his personal memories of running out in the Champions Cup, as anticipation grows ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. A two-time winner of the competition in 2004 and 2007, Dallaglio reminisced upon a handful of iconic memories he's since treasured from the old 'Heineken Cup' days.

"To have won the competition in 2004, the semi-final and the final really stand out. When we're going away to Lansdowne Road and playing Munster [semi-final] it was incredible. 55,000 red shirts and one of the most incredible games as the league changed hands 12 times. Then, if you are going to win the competition, to win it against Toulouse in the dramatic circumstances and fashion that we did, [after] chasing shadows for the majority of the first half, I think we outscored them three tries to one. So, that was very, very special.

"I remember going to Perpignan in a fixture in 2007, it was a group fixture. We won and got a standing ovation from 18,000 fanatical fans, as we won a quarter-final place in in the process. Some great memories of this competition and I know we say it every year, but it is international rugby in a club jersey.

"The memories, the days, the wins are right up there amongst some of the best of my career, and the ones that we treasure the most. They're with your teammates, the guys you spend most of your life with at that time, and some of the biggest and best performances we've ever seen."