Disappointed Dallaglio backs Lions for battle ahead
Bay of Plenty 20 British and Irish Lions 34
Lawrence Dallaglio was in philosophical mood today after undergoing ankle surgery to stabilise the fracture he suffered in the Lions' opening tour victory over Bay of Plenty.
Dallaglio's tour was ended 21 minutes into the game at Rotorua, when he slipped into a tackle and was caught awkwardly under a pile of bodies that included Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll and he is set to be sidelined for up to six months.
The loss of Dallaglio, who also suffered injury heartbreak in Australia four years, represents a devastating blow to the Lions' hopes of a Test series victory over New Zealand.
Dallaglio may be 33 next birthday but he came on tour playing as well as ever and was expected to be the inspirational driving force behind the Lions' bid for Test glory.
Instead, he is in an Auckland hospital today not only having to deal with his badly damaged ankle but also begin the painful process of re-focusing his goals. Playing for the Lions had been Dallaglio's over-riding focus in the 12 months since he stood down from the England team.
"I am obviously very, very disappointed that my Lions tour should end in the first match with an injury that puts me out of the whole trip," Dallaglio said today from his hospital bed.
"But I've been around long enough to know that injuries are part of the game and no matter how difficult it is you have to be philosophical. I now just have to prepare myself mentally for the long process of recovery.
"For me, the tour is over, but for the other players they have a great challenge ahead of them and they know they have my full support."
Dallaglio will have to remain in New Zealand for up to a fortnight before he is a position to fly home.
He is to be replaced in the squad Ireland blind-side flanker Simon Easterby, who was at Shannon airport en route to Japan on Ireland's summer tour when the call came through.
"Obviously I feel for Lawrence, he was looking so impressive so to go out of the tour this way is a massive disappointment for him," said Easterby.
"But I am relishing the chance to be involved in a Lions tour and cannot wait to get out and join the lads in what will be a challenging tour."
The messages of support for Dallaglio have been heartfelt and genuine, reflecting the status he has in the game and also the impact he was expected to make as the Lions seek only their second series win over the All Blacks.
Ian McGeechan coached Dallaglio on the 1997 Lions tour and has watched on as Dallaglio scooped every honour the game has to offer. He knows exactly what character the Lions squad has lost.
"Lawrence has been a fundamental part of some of the most successful British and English rugby," said McGeechan.
"He is a natural leader. He was very important back in 1997, he has been fundamental to England's success over the last eight years and his club side has been going well with his leadership. He has been central to some very successful rugby.
"He has set examples and the best thing we can do now is use examples he has set to take things forward. That is the sort of thing he would want."
That process starts immediately. McGeechan today announced that Martin Corry will captain the Lions against Taranaki in New Plymouth on Wednesday.
The England captain played 60 minutes as Dallaglio's replacement against Bay of Plenty and is a similarly forceful leader who commands respect for his commitment to lead by example.
"You can't replace a character like Lawrence Dallaglio. He's been immense. Just his presence around the squad is brilliant to have," said Corry.
"What has happened is incredibly unfortunate and as a whole squad we have got to take this on the chin and move on.
"It is not about looking over your shoulder and saying what might have been. We can all make excuses but soft men make excuses and we have got to get our heads down and get on with it."
New Zealand's assistant coach Steve Hansen offered his sympathies today and admitted that, despite being in the opposition camp, he was hugely disappointed that Dallaglio will not feature in the Test series.
"I think it was really sad. It has robbed the tour of a personality, and it has robbed the tour of a great player," he said.
"I know he is in the opposition but I really feel for the bloke. He made the sacrifice of not playing for England to make it on this tour and he gets injured in the first game, that is just bad news.
"If you lose a world class player it weakens you and it must be devastating for him. It is also sad for the New Zealand public because they are going to miss out on seeing a great player at his best."
Dallaglio's injury overshadowed what was a highly entertaining win over a spirited and brave Bay of Plenty side that made the Lions work for their rewards.
The Lions raced into a 17-0 lead with two excellent tries from Josh Lewsey and one from Mark Cueto before Bay of Plenty rallied to draw level at the interval.
The Lions tightened their ambitions in the second half and behind an excellent display of tactical kicking from O'Gara - the one redeeming feature for the fly-half in an otherwise disappointing display - they forged a win with tries from Tom Shanklin, Dwayne Peel and Gordon D'Arcy.
