Dallaglio: Pay cut may not force me out

Lawrence Dallaglio today confirmed that he may take a sizeable pay cut in order to play the rest of his top-flight rugby career at London Wasps.

Dallaglio, the former England captain and favourite to do the job again following Martin Johnson's international retirement, rejected reports that long-running new contract talks at Wasps have reached deadlock.

The 31-year old World Cup-winning No8 said he hopes to sign a new contract with his only professional club "within the next two weeks".

Dallaglio is understood to have been offered a two-year deal worth a basic £180,000 a year - which would mean him taking a 25 per cent pay cut.

But he added: "A lot of clubs are currently under a lot of pressure to keep themselves within the £1.9million wage cap, and it may be that I end up getting paid what Wasps can afford rather than what I am worth. But that is a decision that myself and Wasps have to come to, and I think at this stage of my career I am entitled to consider all the options."

Dallaglio would not be short of offers from home or abroad, but he is a passionate one-club man and it would take a real breakdown in his relationship with Wasps for him to go.