Lawrence Dallaglio's hopes of being fit for the Lions' summer tour of Australia received a massive boost today when it was revealed he has notsuffered cruciate ligament damage.
But the former England skipper must still undergo a rigorous fitness test to prove his worth to the squad before the Lions leave for Perth on June1st.
The Wasps back-row forward feared the worst when he was forced to leave the field in his club's Zurich Premiership Play-off semi-final againstBath last Sunday.
Cruciate ligament damage - identical to the injury that blighted soccer star Paul Gascoigne's career - would not only have ruled Dallaglio out ofthe Lions tour but also England's Six Nations decider with Ireland in October and the autumn international programme.
But following two scans the 28-year-old's physiotherapist Kevin Lidlow today confirmed that Dallaglio had sustained soft tissue damage to theright knee that has responded well so far to treatment.
"Post-injury MRI scanning and re-scanning were carried out on Monday, May 7th and Friday, May 11th and the results have been reported to the Lionsand Wasps.
"These indicate soft tissue trauma to the inside of the right knee implicating ligamentus structures.
"The decision taken, based upon Lawrence's excellent response to treatment within the first five days is that he will undergo statutory fitnesstesting at a date to be determined by Lions team manager Donal Lenihan and Lions doctor James Robson.
"There's no reason at this stage to withdraw Lawrence from the Lions tour this summer, but it's important to state that any decision made will bebased upon Wasps as well as his involvement with the summer tour." The absence of Dallaglio would be a huge blow to Lions coach Graham Henry.
He had already pencilled the 6ft 4ins forward to fill the blind-side flanker's slot, teaming up with Richard Hill and Scott Quinnell in a formidableback-row combination.
If Dallaglio was to be withdrawn, Wasps team-mate Joe Worsley - part of Clive Woodward's England squad to tour North America - is a likelyreplacement, although Scotland's Budge Pountney could also come into the reckoning.
Leicester's Neil Back and Edinburgh Reivers youngster Simon Taylor - highlighted as a possible tour star by Henry - could benefit from Dallaglio'sabsence to force their way into the Test side.
Dallaglio was a major player in the Lions' triumphant tour of South Africa in 1997 and it would be a huge set-back to one of the most familiarfigures in the game if he was to miss out.
Dallaglio has battled back admirably since he lost the England skipper's job over drugs admissions which were published in a national newspaper.
The player admitted he behaved naively over that particular incident, but has continually proved his worth on the pitch with a series ofinspirational performances for club and country.
He has been ever-present as England racked up their current run of eight successive Test victories and he also guided his club side to asecond-placed finish in the Premiership this season.
PA