Wilkinson will not get Lions insurance

If Jonny Wilkinson is selected for the Lions tour to New Zealand, he will have to arrange his own insurance cover.

"We will not insure Jonny Wilkinson's knee," John Feehan, the chief executive of the British and Irish Lions, said. "That would be a decision for himself."

The rocketing costs of medical insurance means that the bill to cover the squad of 44 players is in the region of £700,000 ($1.9m).

"After wages, insurance is the second biggest cost," Feehan said.

Wilkinson has not played for England since the World Cup final in November 2003, due to shoulder, neck and knee injuries.

The Lions learnt an expensive lesson in Australia in 2001, when Lawrence Dallaglio was chosen despite carrying an injury.

Sir Clive Woodward announces his squad on 11 April.

If Wilkinson makes it, and it's a big if, Newcastle would probably insist that he is covered under the Lions' umbrella policy.

"Our aim is not to exclude players from the tour, but there are limits," Feehan said. In every other regard, the contracts the players will sign are "communal".

Feehan added: "There will be no individual negotiations. They will all be treated in exactly the same way."

Although the elite will represent the Lions in three Tests, many players were disappointed at the basic fee, understood to be £20,000.

However, the sum can be supplemented by win bonuses of 20 per cent. With a huge coaching staff, the wage bill will exceed £1m, making it the most expensive tour in history.

"Ideally," Feehan said, "everybody who steps on the plane will be 100 per cent fit."

- INDEPENDENT