Matt Dawson is the most capped England scrum half in history. As an integral member of the England squad that took the country to victory in the 2003 World Cup, Matt is an institution in the world of rugby, winning 77 caps for his country in total, including 9 as captain.

Matt has played for Northampton and the London Wasps and represented the British Lions on two tours. During the 1998 tour to Australia and New Zealand, “The Tour from Hell’, Matt was congratulated on his leadership.

Regarded as one of the more outspoken players of the modern professional era Matt is a familiar face on television. He is a rugby analyst for Radio 5 Live and has substantial experience in written journalism. He has become instantly recognizable as the team captain, opposite Ally McCoist on ‘A Question of Sport’ and, in 2006, he demonstrated his culinary skills taking part in, and winning BBC’s ‘Celebrity Masterchef’. He also put on his dancing shoes and was runner up in BBC’s primetime show, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, which attracted over 12 million viewers per show.

More recently Matt donned his chef’s hat again on UKTV Food in ‘Mitch and Matt’s Big Fish’, which saw him touring Britain cooking and sampling great fish dishes. In 2009 Matt became the advertising face of Youngs seafood and in 2010 he featured in Channel 4’s ‘My Big Fat Diet Show’, sharing with the nation his delicious low calorie recipes. Matt has recently published his first cookery book – ‘Fresh, Simple, and Tasty’.

Matt is an Honorary President of the rugby charity Wooden Spoon, a charity which works to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland.

Matt is an articulate, intelligent and inspirational corporate and after dinner speaker. He shares his approach to the physical and mental preparation required for elite performers in the modern rugby era and offers lessons in leadership which he learnt – the hard way – during his time as England captain on the “Tour of Hell” in 1998, when an under-strength England party, led by Clive Woodward, took on the best three teams in the world, during three consecutive weeks.

The success he has achieved both on and off the rugby field and the insights he has gained along the way have taught him much about the importance of the right attitude, hard work and determination. This combined with his candid nature and a sharp sense of humour, offer an inspiring and entertaining experience for his audiences.