Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny Wilkinson have saluted the men who have described their finest moments to a generation of rugby fans.

Their voices synonymous with rugby for decades, Alastair Hignell and Andrew Titheridge are highly regarded by England Rugby’s biggest names, including Dallaglio and Wilkinson. And this week it was the players’ turn to have their say as two of rugby’s off field greats retired from the game.

“One of the great things about playing rugby is that you get to meet so many wonderful people,” said Dallaglio.

“I have had the privilege and pleasure of working alongside Andrew Titheridge for as long as I can remember.”

And the World Cup winner said of the man whose unique vocal tones have graced commercial radio stations for the best part of 30 years: “He was certainly one of the few men who could stick a microphone in your face two minutes after the end of a match with such a degree of sensitivity to the emotions of the winner or the loser.

“He was a real rugby man who was a professional; yet immensely fun to work with and he will be sorely missed.”

It’s an emotion shared by Titheridge, who admits that the former England captain was also a joy to work with. “I’ve always dearly loved Phil Vickery because we have a good laugh, and Martin Johnson because I actually believe he’s the greatest rugby player we’ve ever had,” said Titheridge.

“But, for me, Lawrence Dallaglio was the ultimate professional player, both for his team mates, for his club, sponsors and for the press – and he was never short of a word or two!”

No one will remember the moment that Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal sent England into the record books better than the former England full back and double Cambridge blue Alastair Hignell.

‘Higgy’ was one of the first to catch the players’ euphoria after the final whistle marked England’s famous victory. After first taking to the airwaves in 1985, he retired this year after 16 years of rugby commentary for the BBC.

“Higgy is a delightful guy, blessed with a manner and a respectful knowledge that makes talking to the media a pleasure,” acknowledged Wilkinson. “He was a fabulous player with all the skills, is a brilliant person and undoubtedly a player’s friend and favourite.”

In return, Hignell has praised Wilkinson and England’s other modern day players for upholding rugby’s traditional values.

“For me, the best thing about rugby is that the current generation of players have that generosity of spirit, that love and understanding of humans and teamwork that the old generation had,” he said.

“I’ve interviewed many amateur rugby players - people like Stuart Barnes, Jerry Guscott and Gareth Chilcott - they have so many facets to their characters. "I was worried that when the game went professional, we’d end up with monosyllabic players who could only think about training. But I’ve been fantastically and pleasantly surprised.

“The World Cup final in Sydney is my absolute highlight. It showed that we, as a country, had hit the absolute heights. “As soon as Jonny kicked the goal that won it for us, I had to shoot down to pitchside to do interviews with all the England players with a microphone, a receiver and a dodgy wire ready to broadcast back to London. “The nerves that went though my mind then, hoping that everything would work and that I would ask sensible questions! Only about two hours after the game could I actually celebrate.”

Titheridge also has fond memories of the RWC 2003. “I was involved in the World Cup through a sponsorship deal, interviewing Clive Woodward every day, so I was very much a part of it. “I’ll always remember when they rang me up to ask me to do the bus tour around London afterwards, that was the highlight of my career.”

But as one Alastair goes off air, another one will take up the mic. And says Radio 5 Live’s new voice of rugby, Alastair Eykyn, it’s a tough task. “Higgy is a legend so I’ve got a long way to go before I can reach the heights he hit,” said the Oxford University graduate.

“But with all the great talent that’s in this country, the challenge now is to make sure that talent reaches fruition. "Then we should see some of the best rugby ever - and I can’t wait.”