The two-time Grand Final winner called time on his playing career aged just 27
The fourth round of the competition takes place on Sunday.
If you want an illustration of just how much rugby players have changed in the 28 years or so since the game went professional, you should witness the scene I stumbled into on the fourth floor of the Savoy hotel. There, high up in a capacious suite overlooking a dreary Thames, stands the gargantuan, brooding figure of England and Saracens second row Maro Itoje. He is wearing an immaculate grey twill double-breasted Dior suit, and pulling effortless high-fashion poses for The Telegraph magazine.