Leicester in the money

Leicester are the biggest winners of the £660,000 pay-out to clubs by the Lions for this summer's tour of New Zealand.

For the first time each club will receive £15,000 compensation for every player they have in the 44-man squad. The overall figure could be even higher if Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery and Mike Tindall prove their fitness and are added to the squad.

Leicester have the biggest contingent with eight men and will earn £120,000. London Wasps, with three representatives, will bank £45,000 while Saracens and Harlequins will receive £15,000 apiece. The players will be paid a basic salary of £20,000 for the 11-match tour, a sum which was scheduled to be £35,000 each before it was reduced to accommodate the compensation deal reached with the clubs.

Meanwhile, the Lions will be based at Wales' training base near Cardiff for a week before leaving for New Zealand. The tour party, it is understood, will assemble in Wales on 17 May, leading up to their pre-tour Millennium Stadium clash against Argentina on 23 May. They will depart for New Zealand two days later.