Tom Voyce

RW pays tribute to the late England wing who was a key part of Wasps' golden era

- Josh Graham

WHEN THE awful news broke that ex-England wing Tom Voyce was missing and presumed dead after failing to return home from a night with friends, it shook the entire rugby community.

No one more so than his old Wasps skipper Lawrence Dallaglio, however. Not only were the pair close mates from sharing a changing room in the club's golden era but the circumstances resonated with Dallaglio after his sister Francesca's death at just 19 in the 1989 Marchioness boat tragedy.

"It's so sad and so tragic," Dallaglio says. "It did bring up some very painful memories for me personally given that I lost my sister and we were sat at home waiting for news but weren't able to process it all until we finally got confirmation four nights later.

"When we heard the news about Tom, it was devastating. Immediately your thoughts are with his wife Anna, son Oscar and family."

Voyce's body was recovered a few days after he went missing in December. He's believed to have got into trouble in his car when attempting to cross Abberwick Ford amid the flooding from Storm Darragh.