Dallaglio sidelined for six months

LAWRENCE Dallaglio faces up to six months on the sidelines following surgery in Auckland yesterday on a broken ankle.

The Wasps back row was just 20 minutes into the British & Irish Lions’ tour opener in New Zealand against provincial side Bay Of Plenty when he suffered what team doctor James Robson described as a fractured dislocation of the right ankle.

As Dallaglio, 32, was stretchered off and taken straight to hospital in Rotorua, it became clear the Lions had lost one of its most influential players and leaders for the tour. Llanelli flanker Simon Easterby is due to join the squad today as a replacement, having been alerted to his call-up while waiting to board a plane at Shannon en route to Ireland’s tour of Japan.

Having spent a comfortable night in hospital with his leg in plaster, England World Cup winner Dallaglio was transferred by road to Auckland yesterday morning and underwent surgery in the afternoon.

A Lions statement released following the procedure said the operation, undertaken by “two of New Zealand’s top orthopaedic surgeons”, had gone well. The No 8 remains in Auckland for a period of observation, returning to London in 10 to 14 days.

In the statement, Dallaglio said: “I am obviously very, very disappointed that my Lions tour should end in the first match with an injury that puts me out of the whole trip. But I’ve been around long enough to know that injuries are part of the game, and no matter how difficult it is you have to be philosophical. I now just have to prepare myself mentally for the long process of recovery.”

One Lions coach watching that process with more interest than most will be Ian McGeechan, who takes over Warren Gatland’s post as director of rugby at Wasps next season.

“By six months I’m very much hoping he’ll be back to full fitness,” McGeechan said, while announcing Wednesday’s side to face Taranaki.

Lions head coach Clive Woodward, who visited Dallaglio in hospital in Rotorua a few hours after the game, employed all his powers of positive thinking in the wake of Dallaglio’s injury when he declared: “The cavalry are coming.”

The Lions have four players coming to the rescue this week as Dallaglio and Malcolm O’Kelly prepare to head home.

England lock Simon Shaw arrived in Auckland yesterday to take O’Kelly’s berth.

Wales full-back Gareth Thomas lands tomorrow and Jason Robinson arrives on Thursday.