...unless they were among the few hundred who were at Dry Leas last night, for the opening game of the new A League season, against the multi-coloured performers from the A 316.

Starting at number 6 for the defending champions was none other than L.B.N.Dallaglio O.B.E. Within three days of his triumphant exit from Twickenham, he’d been back there, to support the Help for Heroes match – a charity game conceived by the Times rugby correspondent, Mark Souster, to raise money to help those servicemen and women wounded in the current conflicts, in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk

Lawrence had originally intended to play the role of non-playing captain, but that soon changed. As soon as the opposing captain, Scott Gibbs announced that he’d be playing, Lawrence decided that he’d have to, as well.

Hence last night’s appearance at Henley. The old boy needed some contact training, ahead of the big day at Twickenham, on September the 20th, and Wasps were happy to oblige.

When he arrived, well before kickoff, the familiar swagger was still there, but this was a smiling, relaxed Dallaglio. Gone was the look of grim determination we'd all become used to seeing when he'd arrived for matches in the past.

It was a classic cameo, against the old enemy from the Stoop, with a few reminders of the Lawrence we've known and loved over the years. There was a comically sliced clearance kick, a spectacular Dan Marino-style torpedo pass, some crunching tackles, a lovely offload to help set up a try, and, inevitably, the occasional friendly word of advice to the referee.

When he left the field at Twickenham, back in May, he was clearly emotional, as the entire world record crowd had risen to acclaim him. This time, the departure was low-key. He played the first half, but didn't reappear after the interval. This gave his fellow World Cup winner Will Greenwood the chance to come off the Quins bench, and get his own contact practice for the Help for Heroes game. Sadly, it was short-lived, as he suffered a nasty gash to the leg, which forced him to leave the field after only a few minutes.

After the game, Lawrence was all smiles. “It’s great to be back amongst the boys, having a bit of fun. It's very nice that Wasps gave me the chance to get in a bit of practice, ahead of the Help for Heroes game. That was the purpose of today."

And did this game hint at a more extended comeback? "Absolutely not! The first 20 minutes told me all I need to know about my comeback. The game on the 20th will definitely be the last game that I'm playing. Tonight was good fun, good experience, and it was great to be part of a Wasps winning team again. But I'll probably wake up tomorrow morning, and ask myself "What was I doing? What was I thinking?". I haven't done a lot of rugby training, pre-season, but a lot of bike training, for the charity ride in the Pyrenees. I felt aerobically fit, but not ready for the contact, so it's been a useful lesson."

When asked about how his posterior had been enjoying its close contact with a bike saddle, he did confess that it was "****** painful", as saddles are not designed for comfort. That 933 km ride begins on September the 25th, and will end in Perpignan, scene of a great Wasps triumph in 2004, and a city where a Wasps shirt almost ensures that a local will come up to you and mention Lawrence's name - even the airport security staff do it. It's in aid of the Bliss charity, which cares for premature and sick babies. You can donate online, via Lawrence's Just Giving page http://www.justgiving.com/lawrencedallaglio

And so, our legendary Wasps warrior has made his final, final bow. In a few years time, when anyone from last night’s crowd hears somebody talking about last season’s final, and boasting that they’d been at Lawrence’s final game for Wasps, they can correct them. “No you weren’t. But I was!” And they might even make a bit of money out of it.

The result? Wasps won, 37-20!

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