Matt Dawson is the man who played a crucial, yet often forgotten role in the most memorable moment in English rugby history. The winning drop goal landed by Jonny Wilkinson in the Rugby World Cup 2003 final owed a huge amount to his half-back partner.
It was Dawson whose sniping break pushed play a vital 10 metres closer to the Australian posts, then his pass which gave Wilkinson the time and space to land his immortal three-pointer.
That was Dawson, never better than on the biggest occasions. He was already a world champion in 7s – he and Lawrence Dallaglio were members of a youthful, largely unconsidered England squad that took the title in 1993, making them the only players to win World Cups in both 7s and 15s.
He went on the 1997 Lions tour to South Africa as third-choice scrum-half but when his form and injuries to others put him into the test team, he scored the crucial try which signalled the beginning of a series victory over the reigning world champions.
And it was those qualities which ultimately secured his place as first choice in 2003. Clive Woodward had often preferred the more classical talents of Kyran Bracken, but ultimately concluded that Dawson’s spiky competitiveness and big match temperament were what his team needed.
He won 77 caps in all, playing in the World Cups of 1999 and 2003, before beginning a successful second career as a broadcaster on the game.
There’s no great surprise when he nominates his favourite World Cup memory (go on, guess…), but he says: “The real memory was Catty (Mike Catt) kicking it off the field so we definitely won, and the celebration that ensued.”
And while the 1999 tournament did not end so happily, he still has fond memories of it. “With the World Cup being in England it is always going to be that bit more special,” he says. “To have it in your backyard, you know it is going to affect a vast majority of people in the country in some shape or form.”
He sees the Heineken Rugby Studio playing its part in that. “The beauty of it is that there are touch points between the fans and the players and that’s one of the strengths of the game,” he says, urging fans to take every opportunity they have for involvement including matches away from the main venues, fanzones and social media.
Asked to tip a winner, he says: “If I knew that I would be putting my mortgage on it” and that “I’ve got it down to four – New Zealand, South Africa, England and Ireland.”
He reckons that whoever wins England’s fiendishly tough group is a potential finalist, and in nominating a European player to make a mark he looks to the position he knows best, scrum-half. “If there was one player from the northern hemisphere who could be a real superstar in the World Cup if would be Conor Murray from Ireland.”
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