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Lawrence Dallaglio was pictured having a heated altercation with former Ireland international Rory Best on Wednesday evening.
The retired England captain, 49, was in the smoking area of the Grosvenor House Hotel during the Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby dinner when the incident occurred.
An eyewitness told MailOnline that he squared up to the man, who has since been identified as distinguished sportsman Best, 39, after being struck on the arm.
They explained: ‘A man was seen at Lawrence’s arm as he made his way into the hotel, while Lawrence was seen going nose to nose with the guy, as shouting was heard.’
Tension: Lawrence Dallaglio was pictured having a heated altercation with former Ireland international Rory Best on Wednesday evening
Images from the night showed a stony-faced Lawrence face to face with the ex-Ulster player – who made 124 appearances for his country – in the outside area, although it is not known what caused the disagreement.
Tensions appeared to be running high in the evening, with a fight said to have broken out shortly afterwards – although Lawrence was not involved in this altercation.
MailOnline has contacted Lawrence’s representatives for comment.
Earlier in the night, the former rugby union player seemed in good spirits as he posed for snaps inside the event, which honoured Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark MBE and Jason Robinson OBE.
Also attending the ceremony was Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka, who looked worse-for-wear as she left in a taxi after a night of partying.
Struggle: The former England captain, 49, was in the smoking area of the Grosvenor House Hotel when the incident occurred
Awkward: An eyewitness told MailOnline that he squared up with another man, who has since been identified as Best, after being struck on the arm
Lawrence is now widely known as one of the greatest players to ever feature in rugby union and went on to captain England.
During a long playing career spanning from 1990 to 2008, he amassed over 300 league appearances for Wasps, with 88 caps during a storied Test career.
He retired in 2008, finishing his final season in the game by winning the Premiership final with Wasps.
Tense: Images from the night showed a stony-faced Lawrence face to face with Best in the outside area
Seasoned pro: Best made 124 appearances for his country during a distinguished rugby career
Lawrence, who now does regular punditry work with ITV, concluded his time in rugby with five league title medals, three Powergen cups, two Heineken cups and a World Cup winners’ medal.
Last year, he credited rugby with saving him following the tragic death of his sister in 1989.
Lawrence’s sister Francesca was one of around 130 people on board the Marchioness on the river Thames attending a party which ran into the small hours. The boat collided with another vessel which resulted in the deaths of 51 people.
Oh dear: Tensions appeared to be running high in the evening
All kicking off: Other people in the smoking area turned to see what the commotion was
Lawrence, who went on to become a national icon after winning the rugby World Cup with England in 2003, admits his initial reaction to living with grief was a bad one, and it threatened to put him on the wrong side of the tracks.
It was only until the opportunity to play rugby arose, however, that he finally found solace in something in which emotions could be invested.
He added: ‘First of all, I channelled my energies in a very different direction and I was getting into all sorts of trouble here, there and everywhere.
‘And then I did something which changed the direction of my life – I decided to play rugby… it put its arms around me and gave me a support system, an extended family, to try and put some sense into all of this.
Chirpy: Earlier in the night, the rugby union player seemed in good spirits as he posed for snaps inside the event alongside Jonathan Davies and Jay Thornburn
Had a ball: Also attending the ceremony was Love Island’s Sharon Gaffka, who looked worse-for-wear as she left in a taxi after a night of partying
I joined Wasps at the age of 18 in 1990 and I did so because I needed to find some purpose and direction in my life – I was channelling my energies in the wrong direction.
‘I needed to do that to help my mother and father who were really struggling. And from the minute I walked in the door, Wasps, the club that I joined, gave me a real sense of belonging, of community, of family.
‘I felt spiritually I’d arrived in the right place. It was just about people putting their arms around you and that doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, you’re very welcome here. It really helped me to rehabilitate myself.’
Icon: Lawrence is now widely known as one of the greatest players to ever feature in rugby union and went on to captain England (pictured in 2001)
Here we go: Best throws the ball during an international between Ireland and Argentina at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in 2018
