Dallaglio's need for surgery puts England in corner

Lawrence Dallaglio's thirtysomething right ankle finally gave way last summer under the combined pressure of wear, tear and a dodgy playing surface in Rotorua, ruling the former England captain out of a seven-week Lions tour of New Zealand that had been in progress less than 20 minutes. The same ankle threatens to rule him out of this summer's red rose tour of Australia, as well. Not to put too fine a point on it, Dallaglio is struggling to awake from an ortho-paedic nightmare.

Should he declare himself available for the two-Test trip to Sydney and Melbourne, he might well travel as skipper. Martin Corry, the current captain and Dallaglio's principal rival for the No 8 berth, has repeatedly acknowledged his desire to board the plane at the end of next month, but Andy Robinson, the national coach, is sorely tempted to give him a breather.

If Robinson's view prevails, Dallaglio would be the obvious alternative, both positionally and in terms of the leadership duties.

But the 33-year-old Londoner knows the four-inch metal plate inserted in his grotesquely fractured ankle 10 months ago must be removed sooner rather than later, and his club, Wasps, are keen to see the necessary surgery go ahead at the end of the domestic campaign. That would allow Dallaglio, who last week signed a two-year extension to his Wasps contract, to get a full pre-season's training under his belt - a rare luxury for an international player these days - and maximise his performances ahead of the 2007 World Cup in France.

"If I wasn't picked for the England tour, people might consider it the end of my international career," he admitted yesterday. "But the plate needs removing and if I'm to be a serious candidate for the World Cup, it's something that needs to be done soon. In preparing for the next 18 months or so, I think I would benefit from a very serious pre-season training programme. If I go on tour and then have the operation, there will be no pre-season training.

"I would like to be a part of the tour and if I don't go, I'll have to back myself to win a place in the team next season. As there are 16 Tests before the World Cup, there is a lot of game-time in which to stake a claim. It's a matter for consultation between England, Wasps and myself. I'll be very happy, whatever is decided in respect of this coming tour."

In the event of England leaving Heathrow with neither Corry nor Dallaglio on the plane, Robinson may ask Bath's Steve Borthwick to lead the party. Only one other England regular - the Northampton hooker Steve Thompson - is currently carrying the captaincy burden at club level, and while he has more international experience than Borthwick, he is also one of the forwards expected to take a summer breather.