Back is eager to wreck his old pal's swansong

The Guinness Premiership Final between London Wasps and Leicester at Twickenham marks Dallaglio's swan-song after an illustrious career which saw him win the World Cup alongside Back and Richard Hill, as part of England's back row Holy Trinity.

But Back, now Leicester's defence coach, will be looking for revenge after Dallaglio and Wasps wrecked his and Martin Johnson's final game in the Premiership Final three years ago.

Back said: "Lol is a good mate of mine but I hope we can spoil his final swan-song, just as he and Wasps did for us.

"He is a great guy and a great player. Lol deserves all the publicity he is getting for this match because he's been a fantastic servant for club and country."

The Holy Trinity first came together at half-time during the England versus New Zealand match at Old Trafford in 1997 when Back replaced Tony Diprose. So what made them such a special unit?

Dallaglio said: "The back row was always massively competitive with Martin Corry, Joe Worsley and Lewis Moody also pressing for places, and this was a key factor in the 2003 World Cup-winning side. No one could take their place for granted.

"We also benefited from an outstanding front five headed by Martin Johnson and Jason Leonard who provided the platform for the back row.

"That does make your job easier and one of the other major factors is that Backy, Hilly and myself complemented each other in terms of skills. We had a chemistry between the three of us and it revolved around a competitive edge and massive desire to win. One aspect that underpinned us was workrate, and Hilly and Backy were immense.

"You knew that Backy was going to chop an opponent's legs off and then compete fiercely for the ball on the ground while Hilly would come from nowhere and make a crucial tackle. Not a lot needed to be said on the pitch because we had sat down in the days building up to the match as a trio and discussed the opposition and what needed to be done on the day.

"I would also single out bravery and courage as two other key elements because those guys put their heads and bodies where you end up collecting scars and stitches."

Hill, referred to as the "moaner" of the group, collected his fair share of those stitches and once complained that Back, also getting patched up during the Twickenham game with South Africa in 2000, was given the medical room with a television while he had blank walls.

Back said: "He often moaned that more was written in the press about Lawrence or myself, but I know this was not the case.

"Hilly is a very humble guy, happy to be in the background, but I don't think he liked me having the main medical room with the TV while he was in a broom cupboard getting stitched!

"Before each game for England, Hilly, Lol and I would warm up together. We would do several laps of the pitch, prowling and marking out our territory, focusing on the areas we wanted to play in.

"This routine helped us bond and gel as a unit and made us very at ease with each other. We are all fairly different characters, but they say opposites attract and I think that was very much the case with us."

Hill, 35, who retired after Saracens' final match of the season, will miss Dallaglio's finale as he is on a stag weekend in Madrid, but said: "I was definitely the quiet one on the pitch and just got on with my job.

"There were early teething problems and some people didn't think we would work as a unit, but there was a point where it all came together in a very natural way. We had a great understanding of each others skills and it happened without us realising.

"Suddenly, it became second nature. Backy was the defensive captain and would let everyone know what was needed and this communication was vital in the heat and pressure of a Test.

"People often say you have to pick guys who can play purely in the 6, 7 or 8 jerseys but we could cover them all."