Dallaglio bowed out of the international stage after the 2007 Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

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Johnson will drive up standards

Players/Officials Lawrence Dallaglio | Martin Johnson

Teams England | London Wasps

Lawrence Dallaglio has backed Martin Johnson to instil a set of "non-negotiable standards" into the England team that he believes have been allowed to dwindle since Sir Clive Woodward stood down as head coach.

Dallaglio feels "things have not been the same" since Woodward left in 2004 but he is confident Johnson will rebuild the demanding environment which helped England win the 2003 World Cup. Delivering the annual Obolensky Lecture in London last night, Dallaglio used the off-field problems England encountered on the summer tour to New Zealand as an example of how England's standards have dropped.

He criticised the decision to allow the players to go drinking until the early hours after losing the first Test 37-20 - an evening which led to a police investigation after a local woman made unproven allegations against four members of the squad. Dallaglio expects the relative newcomers to the England squad to be in for a rude awakening when Johnson takes charge for the autumn internationals.

"Martin Johnson knows what it takes to win," said Dallaglio. "He knows that if you lose by 37 points in New Zealand you don't go out on the town. The best winners are those who hate losing. There are some standards that are non-negotiable that have been missing from the England team over the last few years."

A lack of leadership was blamed for England's off-field problems in New Zealand. Steve Borthwick was captain of a squad with few senior players to act as a guide to the young players. Dallaglio believes growing that leadership group is one of the biggest challenges Johnson faces as the new England manager.

Dallaglio fears the professional game is producing players who have not had any opportunity to develop life skills and personalities outside rugby. When England won the 2003 World Cup, the team had a powerful backbone of players with captaincy experience and leadership qualities - the likes of Dallaglio, Johnson, Matt Dawson, Jason Leonard, Neil Back and Richard Hill.

Dallaglio said: "We developed leaders in specialist areas and leadership was clearly an integral part of our success in 2003. We had leaders and personalities all over the pitch. This is the area in which I think England have had, and continue to have, concerns. It is an area that is really worrying for me."

This summer the game was plunged into unchartered territory with the unsubstantiated allegations against some of the England team on tour in New Zealand. The players were fully cleared of any charges through the thorough disciplinary procedure applied by the RFU, but what this did serve to highlight was the need for the players to be increasingly vigilant as their profile and stock rises.

"One area that is key to this reputational risk is the need for players to have interests outside of the sport to provide the necessary balance and perspective," continued the former England skipper. Rugby players are not machines. The balance between work and life is also key for me in a career."

Dallaglio followed Woodward, USA Rugby chairman Kevin Roberts and RFU chief executive Francis Baron in being invited to deliver the Obolensky Lecture. In a wide-ranging address, he took the opportunity to review his own career and the experiences learned from 18 years with Wasps. And he reiterated a long-held view that Jonny Wilkinson should have left Newcastle in order to further his own rugby career.

"One could say I was tremendously loyal. But really I was very selfish. I joined Wasps because they were winners. I wanted to win so I positioned myself where I thought was the best place to win. I had to be ruthless. If I ever thought Wasps were not competitive I would have left.

"I've often used Jonny Wilkinson as my example of this. I have the upmost respect for Jonny. He is truly a world-class player and a world-class person. I'm sure we all wish him the very best in his recovery from yet another bad injury. Jonny has been incredibly loyal to Newcastle Falcons. But has his loyalty cost him the opportunity to win medals and trophies throughout his career? It could cost him his place in the England team.

"Would Steven Gerrard be playing for West Ham? Would Dan Carter be playing for Southland? I've used Wasps to get where I wanted to go - and visa versa."

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