Lawrence Dallaglio insists he will need to learn a whole new set of skills before he can consider himself capable of becoming coach of England. Dallaglio, currently captain of Wasps, will bring the curtain down on his playing career at the end of the season and revealed he is definitely interested in becoming a coach. However, Dallaglio understands that making the transition from player to coach is not an easy one and that humility is among the new skills he would have to acquire.

"I am realistic enough to understand that to transfer from being a player to a coach is not something one can take for granted," he told Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme. "While you do develop a certain number of skills that are relevant to coaching, there is also a number of skills that one needs to learn and develop away from the game. I don't think you can just suddenly walk into an England dressing room and start coaching England.

"You have to earn your badge and respect and coaching is something I would love to do in the future. It is something I would love to be able to do but I think you have to be humble as a coach. You have to go away and learn a different skill set and if that turns out to be something you are good at then obviously you would earn the right to coach England.

"But I have still got six more months and will be working very hard to make sure Wasps win as many of those games as I've got left. I have a contract with Wasps that runs through to the 2008 season. I am 35. I am playing, in my opinion, as well as I have played for a few years and I could probably play another season of rugby, certainly at domestic level for Wasps, but I just felt the time was right to go now. The club are in good health, they have got some great young players and prospects coming through."

England's World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward believes Dallaglio has the potential to be a great coach. "The great thing about Lawrence is that he is incredibly bright and he would not put himself in a position that he didn't think he could handle," he said. "I think he would want to coach at a club and prove to people that he could do it. It is not a foregone conclusion that because he is a great player he will become a great coach. But if he takes it as seriously as he takes his rugby playing he will be a very successful coach."