Dallaglio: Bowing out

Leicester have been a wounded tiger and they're a dangerous tiger now because they've been given a lifeline to redeem their season.

Miles Harrison
Quotes of the week

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP FINAL
Wasps v Leicester
2.30pm, Saturday
Sky Sports 1 & HD1

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• Rees - I will put it right
• Dallaglio's final flourish
• Danny wants win for Lol
• White free for final
• Goode times ahead for Tigers

Preview

• Wasps v Tigers - Teams

Teams

• Leicester
• London Wasps

They're two of rugby union's big guns but both have had to perform minor miracles to get to this year's Guinness Premiership final.

Miles Harrison can't wait to find out the ending of this 'remarkable story'.

Wasps v Leicester - an unlikely decider isn't it, even though there's a bit of history between these two?

MILES: Just a touch! They are the two teams that have dominated English club rugby now for ten years or so. Here we are again, a final between Wasps and Leicester - but I don't think many people were predicting this one. Considering Leicester were in danger of not just not making the semi-finals but also missing out on European qualification, they've dragged themselves back from the dead. It would be a remarkable story if they were to finish it now by retaining their crown. As far as Wasps are concerned, they are the kings of timing their run to perfection to get into the play-offs and then on into the final. They've done it many times before but this season has offered their biggest challenge ever. They were struggling down at the bottom of the table and since the turn of the year they've almost been playing knock-out rugby every week in the league just to get themselves here. So yes, they are the two biggest names, yes it's a final we've seen before but for both of these clubs to go on to win it would represent, even for them, a remarkable story.

It'd be even more remarkable for the Tigers wouldn't it, considering that forwards coach Richard Cockerill publicly admitted the team was 'not good enough' to even make the play-offs?

MILES: If they do go on to win, you can view Cockerill's comments as one of the great sporting gaffes. Having said that, if they win, I don't think he will care if it's a sporting gaffe or not! In this day and age, where we're constantly fed soundbites in sport, it was refreshingly honest - that's what was genuinely going through his mind. But I don't think the Leicester camp would have seen it as particularly refreshing.

Have Cockerill's words actually galvanised the Leicester players?

MILES: I think we saw that was the case when Martin Corry (Leicester skipper) gave his post-match interview after the semi-final with Gloucester - you could see in his eyes that it had got the players going. They'd been challenged by their coach and they'd been doubted by their coach so I think it did stir them up. But going back to Cockerill, he's a young coach and he would have learnt from the experience of saying that to the media.

Talking of unsettling players, the Leicester camp can't have been helped by speculation about the future of head coach Marcello Loffreda, can it? Is Saturday a must-win game for him?

MILES: The whole season seems to have been unsettling for Loffreda. He's a terrific bloke and I think after the way he conducted himself throughout that very successful 2007 World Cup campaign with Argentina, most people felt at that point he was a potentially great signing for Leicester. This man had proved himself on the international stage, won the respect of his national players over a long period of time and here was a new challenge but I suppose when you go to another country, it's a whole new way of life; a whole new rugby culture. I think his reputation has been chipped away at but throughout the whole experience, he's conducted himself wonderfully. Yet here he is, in the run-up to the final, hearing that even if he retains the title in his first season, it might not be enough. It's out of his hands but he's under contract, he's on the verge of winning the title, and I'm sure this week his thoughts will have been channelled into one thing - how to beat Wasps.

Wasps, of course, will be without their talisman Danny Cipriani. How big a factor is his absence?

MILES: It's a blow, there's no doubt about that. You get to this stage of the season and there are injuries on both sides, let's not forget - Leicester will be without two influential players in Lewis Moody and Louis Deacon. Wasps are missing Tom Voyce, too but Cipriani is certainly their big loss just because of the season that he's had and the centre figure that he is for them. It's a big blow as well for neutrals turning up to watch Cipriani strut his stuff but Wasps will have to get on with it. You win titles because of squads, not certain individuals. Knowing the Wasps culture, they won't let it hamper their preparations.

Someone who definitely will be in the spotlight on Saturday is Lawrence Dallaglio - the man who spoilt Leicester legend Martin Johnson's retirement party in 2005...

MILES:He certainly did. Dallaglio's an epic player and he's got an epic storyline at the end of his career - typical! Wasps did ruin Martin Johnson's farewell party - it was Neil Back's as well. Leicester Tigers will have not forgotten that and will want to put one over on Dallaglio. He's a great player - he falls into the 'great' category -, a great bloke and he's been a wonderful leader for Wasps in every respect. We're going to miss him. I'm just delighted for him that he has this potential great day, even though it'll be memorable either way.

The perfect script's been written for him hasn't it?

MILES:I don't believe the script's already been written. Leicester have the firepower and they have the muscle. They showed that they are capable of beating Wasps - you saw that in the semi-final of the EDF Energy Cup - although Wasps have shown they're capable of beating Leicester, too - they won at Welford Road and not many teams do that. I believe that Wasps have, at times, played the best club rugby in Europe this campaign. During spells of matches they've looked like the best team in Europe. They've not been able to see that through in Europe but this is their chance to get their domestic title back. If it clicks for them on the day, they could certainly win - and they're on form. But Leicester are such a dangerous animal. They've been a wounded tiger and they're a dangerous tiger now because they've been given a lifeline to redeem their season. They've been given the chance to retain their title by sneaking in through the back door and that makes them very dangerous. It's going to be very tight and I think it will be as close as the final score.