Sporting Dinner with Jason Leonard

JASON LEONARD bowed out of the international game following England ’s World Cup win in 2003 as the most capped rugby player and as one of the game’s true legends and favourite personalities..

Apart from winning the World Cup with England in 2003, Jason’s career saw him play 114 times for England during which he won four Grand Slams, tour three times with the British Lions to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia winning 5 caps and played in two World Cup finals  in 1991 and 2003 both against Australia.

Between 1990 and 1995 he played in 40 consecutive tests an achievement that is all the more remarkable considering he earned his living as a prop, the most physically demanding position in the sport and that in 1992 he had a career-threatening neck injury which required an operation to 1992 to repair ruptured vertebrae in his neck using bone taken from his pelvis.

His career spanned fourteen years career and included both the amateur days when he earned his living as a joiner and the professional era. Enjoyment has played a big part in his rugby life so much so, that in his autobiography he names his "All-time drinking XV" from team-mates past and present.

Jason’s last competitive rugby match was playing for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham in May 2004 when he scored his last “international” try. As his only other score was in 1996 when he captained England against Argentina arguing that this might not strictly meet the definition of an “international” try might not be smartest of ideas

IAN ROBERTSON is the BBC Rugby Correspondent and achieved immortality during the 2003 World Cup Final with his commentary of Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop kick recently being voted as the second best radio commentary of all time. 

Ian was vice captain of Scotland but only gained eight caps before at the age of 25 injury cut short his rugby career. Having trained as a teacher he joined the BBC in 1972 although whether this was a reaction to having had the dubious honour of both teaching Tony Blair at George Watsons College in Edinburgh and coaching Peter Horsthuis at Cambridge University may be a mute point.

Away from rugby is one of the most entertaining and busiest after dinner speakers. He is a keen golfer and in the summer he also masquerades as an expert on horse racing for the BBC despite having had numerous shares in a succession of very slow racehorses lacking any sort of ambition.