Dallaglio and the brothel

A London court heard a credit card belonging to former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio was allegedly used to make payments of $20,000 in a brothel. Dallaglio, 47, was interviewed under caution by police in the presence of a solicitor during an investigation into a gang believed to be running a high-class prostitution racket and selling cocaine at the London establishment. Father-of-two Dallaglio was not arrested and wasn’t required to give evidence at the six-week trial. No further action was taken against Dallaglio and it wasn’t established what his money was spent on. Dallaglio relinquished the England captaincy in 1999 after drug allegations in The News of the World. Dallaglio ‘‘categorically denied’’ the newspaper’s claim and said he had been the victim of ‘‘an elaborate set-up’’. He went on to play 85 times for England, including winning the 2003 World Cup.

Waratahs coach Rob Penney said he was weighing up whether to make a last-minute dash to Christchurch to reunite with his wife and children. Rugby Australia confirmed on Monday that its cobbled together national competition that was set to start on April 3 would not go ahead. In extremely uncertain times for many financially and logistically, Penney’s situation is also complicated. He joined the Waratahs following a stint in Japan’s Top League and his family did not move to Australia with him, instead setting up base in New Zealand where they are from. He was been able to get back occasionally before the threat of Covid-19 but swift measures implemented by the New Zealand Government regarding incoming visitors has put Kiwi-born Penney in a difficult predicament. ‘‘I’ve got a wife and three sons and I miss them terribly at the moment,’’ Penney said. ‘‘I hope to be able to see them at some point in the near future. I’ve got commitments here and that I’ve got to make sure I can contend with first, and then we’ll see what unfolds over the next few days.’’