# Matt Dawson

> Matt Dawson is an English Rugby World Cup winner whose gift for reading space has carried him through several distinct careers. After 77 England caps, three British & Irish Lions tours and club honours with Northampton Saints and Wasps, he became the longest-serving captain in A Question of Sport history, a BBC rugby voice and, most recently, Executive Director, Strategic Clients at JLL and a member of its EMEA Work Dynamics Board.

- **Role:** Executive Director, Strategic Clients at JLL
- **Organizations:** JLL, Lemon & Lime Associates, BB Merchant Services, BBC Sport, England Rugby, British & Irish Lions, Northampton Saints, London Wasps
- **From:** Birkenhead, England
- **Nationality:** English
- **Education:** Secondary education, Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
- **Known for:** Won the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam with England., Won 77 England caps, scoring 101 points, and captained the national side nine times., Selected for three British & Irish Lions tours, playing seven Tests and winning the 1997 series in South Africa.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Joined Northampton, beginning a 13-year first-team career that produced 246 appearances and 693 points.
- **1993** — Won the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens with England.
- **1995** — Made his senior England debut; he would finish with 77 caps and 101 points.
- **1997** — Won a Test place on the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa and scored a famous first-Test try after dummying four defenders.
- **1998** — Captained England on the difficult tour of Australia and New Zealand later known as the Tour from Hell.
- **2000** — Captained England during the Six Nations and was part of Northampton's European Cup-winning campaign, though injury kept him out of the final.
- **2003** — Won the Six Nations Grand Slam and Rugby World Cup with England; his late break helped create the field position for Jonny Wilkinson's winning drop goal.
- **2004** — Moved to London Wasps, published the autobiography Nine Lives and became a team captain on BBC One's A Question of Sport.
- **2005** — Won the Premiership with Wasps and toured with the British & Irish Lions for a third time.
- **2006** — Retired from rugby, won Celebrity MasterChef and finished runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing.
- **2007** — Joined BBC Radio 5 Live's rugby coverage as a summariser.
- **2010** — Began a long commercial relationship with Sodexo spanning client engagement, food services and facilities management.
- **2021** — Ended a 17-year run as an A Question of Sport captain, the longest captaincy in the programme's history.
- **2025** — Joined JLL as Executive Director, Strategic Clients and the EMEA Work Dynamics Board; also became an Associate Partner with BB Merchant Services through Lemon & Lime Associates.

## Achievements

- Won the 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam with England.
- Won 77 England caps, scoring 101 points, and captained the national side nine times.
- Selected for three British & Irish Lions tours, playing seven Tests and winning the 1997 series in South Africa.
- Won the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens with England in 1993.
- Made 246 Northampton Saints appearances and scored 693 points; belonged to the club's 2000 European Cup-winning campaign.
- Won the 2004-05 English Premiership in his first season with London Wasps.
- Appointed MBE for services to rugby.
- Served 17 years as an A Question of Sport captain, the programme record.
- Won Celebrity MasterChef and finished runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2006.
- Received an honorary doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University in 2007 for services to rugby.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — JLL announced Dawson as Executive Director, Strategic Clients and a member of its EMEA Work Dynamics Board, based in London.
- **2025-06** — BB Merchant Services named him an Associate Partner in collaboration with Lemon & Lime Associates.
- **2026-02** — In a LinkedIn reflection, he described enjoying his JLL role while continuing to build Lemon & Lime Associates and balancing several professional and personal roles.
- **2026-09** — His public LinkedIn profile continues to list JLL and shows active participation in client, workplace and leadership discussions.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/matt-dawson-mbe-rwc-b9a14193
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/Matt9Dawson
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt9dawson/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-dawson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26