Dallaglio 'should not have toured'

Chris Wright, the chairman of Wasps rugby club, has suggested that Lawrence Dallaglio might have had pressure put on him by the Lions management to play before he was fully fit.

Dallaglio, who had signed a new three-year deal with Wasps shortly before leaving for Australia, returned home without playing in the first Test and underwent reconstruction surgery on his right knee which will keep him out of action for up to nine months.

In an interview on BBC Radio Five Live yesterday Wright said: "It would have been great if Lawrence had been able to play part of the Lions tour, but unfortunately I think he was pushed into playing two warm-up games to see if he was ready to play, perhaps before he was even fit to play in those games."

The matches in question were against Australia A and, four days later, against New South Wales. Yesterday, a statement issued by Wasps, Wright and Nigel Melville, the club's director of rugby, confirmed that the club would be seeking compensation "from the British and Irish Lions for the losses incurred by the club for this unfortunate injury."

The injury means that Dallaglio, the England No 8, will miss the autumn internationals, the bulk of Wasps' Zurich Premiership and Heineken Cup programmes as well as the Lloyds-TSB Six Nations' Championship.

Wright explained: "The unfortunate thing is the injury was sustained in the early part of May, before he went off on the Lions tour, in the play-off semi-final, and it was our belief at the time that he should have his knee dealt with then.

"Had that been the case he would in all probability have been available for the whole of [the] Six Nations' Championship and the crucial end of season of the Zurich Premiership as well. Now we have lost a critical two months of our close season."

Wright sounded confident of obtaining something from the Lions, because he said: "In the normal course of things there is a responsibility for the Lions to pay some compensation for the injury that has happened. It is normal procedure in rugby if a player is injured when they are away playing for a national team or the Lions, that compensation is paid in circumstances like this."

* Colin Charvis, the Wales and Lions back-row forward, has signed a new three-year deal with Swansea.