Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio has expressed heartbreak following the apparent death of his former England teammate, Tom Voyce, who is believed to have been swept away while crossing a flooded river.
Voyce, 43, reportedly tried to escape his car after getting into difficulty crossing a ford on the River Aln near Alnwick, Northumberland, during Storm Darragh’s destructive impact on the UK. The ex-Wasps star was last seen on Saturday, and extensive searches by emergency services and volunteers continued into Wednesday.
“It’s the most horrific news” – Dallaglio
Dallaglio wrote on X: ‘It’s the most horrific news and all I would say at this juncture is that please let us all respect Tom’s family and their suffering right now and keep them in all in our thoughts.
‘Having experienced the same emotions myself when Francesca was missing and presumed dead.
‘Her body wasn’t recovered for 4 days after the marchioness sank. It’s just such a tragedy. Sending all my love x’
Dallaglio and Voyce shared success at Wasps, lifting trophies together, and also featured in England squads during their rugby careers.
Search Efforts Continue
Searchers returned at first light on Wednesday, scouring the River Aln from the ford—situated between Bolton and Abberwick—to the sea at Alnmouth, as the effort to locate Voyce intensified.
A Haunting Parallel
August marked 25 years since the sinking of the Marchioness, a tragic collision on the River Thames that claimed 51 lives, including Dallaglio’s sister, Francesca. A formal inquiry in 2000 concluded:
“The basic cause of the collision is clear. It was poor lookout on both vessels. Neither vessel saw the other in time to take action to avoid the collision.”
In August, he wrote on Instagram: “This week marked 35 years since the Marchioness disaster took you. Mum fought for justice for you and the others who were taken, you would have been so proud (but also mortified of those jackets). She did it.
“There is not a day that goes by where you don’t remind me to keep going. You’d have been so proud of me, but also given me a kick a few times too!
“You were my ‘why’ Francesca, my driver, and most recently my reminder that we haven’t come this far to only come this far.
“My thoughts and love are with all the other families and friends impacted the disaster.”
Rugby World Cup-winning captains – can you name them all?
Out of these exceptional leaders, some have claimed the title just once, while others have done so on multiple occasions. Captains from nations such as New Zealand, Australia, England, and South Africa are part of the exclusive list of multiple-time champions.
We challenge you to identify all Rugby World Cup-winning captains across the tournament’s history spanning 10 editions.
