Worsley looks to heal the wounds

Wasps loose-forward has a lot to play for at club and country level, starting today

Joe Worsley, desperately seeking atonement, intends to put his best foot forward for Wasps against Leicester at Loftus Road today. "I always look forward to playing against the strongest," he said. "That's how you improve yourself. You have to be on your toes."

He didn't mean it as a joke, so there was no hint of a laugh. What happened to Worsley after the defeat to the French in Paris at the Stade de France, added injury to insult. "I walked into a deep spa bath and stepped on something that was razor sharp. My foot was cut to shreds and there was blood everywhere. I had to be carried out of the bath."

Worsley believes a sprinkler had broken and that he stepped on to a jagged piece of metal. He had stitches in his left foot before leaving the stadium. He was on crutches and could not run for two weeks. The Rugby Football Union will complain to the French federation and Worsley is considering legal action, either through the RFU or the Professional Rugby Players' Association.

"There was a five-inch gash along the ball of my foot," he said. "I could easily have lost a toe. There wasn't a word of apology and I'm infuriated by the whole thing. I have to clean the wound twice a day and it is still extremely sore."

Almost as sore as being dropped post-Paris for the match against Wales at Twickenham. "I knew I had a bad game against France and it still hurts. We came under a lot of pressure from the French back row and we were all very disappointed. If you play well you expect to get picked and if you don't... there are always other guys waiting to get in. Clive Woodward told me I was unlucky. Maybe it will be somebody else next time."

Next time is Italy in Rome next Sunday, when England close the Six Nations' Championship. On the eve of the match they will know – after Saturday's France-Ireland game – whether they will be playing for the title or the runners-up spot.

With the England team not being announced until Wednesday, Worsley, bandaged foot or not, has a chance today to impress the selectors. Having made his international debut in the last World Cup, he has appeared in 13 of England's last 14 Tests, capitalising on the absence of his clubmate Lawrence Dallaglio, and his try in the rout of Ireland at Twickenham was his fifth for his country.

Today Wasps are expecting a crowd of more than 10,000 in west London for the visit of the perennial champions, and the back-row battle alone should be something to savour. Worsley is reunited with Dallaglio, who will be playing his first full game for nine months after half an hour's appearance against Sale. "We've got a lot to talk about," Worsley said. Having demoted Worsley to the bench against Wales – he came on a few minutes from time – England switched Richard Hill to No 8 and brought in Leicester's Lewis Moody at No 6.

"I want to play against Italy," Worsley said. "The performance against France was a one-off. The guys played well against Wales, although they were not at their best. Playing Leicester is always a huge challenge, which is why we look forward to it. If you don't they'll make you look like fools." Although Worsley will wear No 6 today, he and Dallaglio will "mix and match" in the back row.

If Leicester win and the results of other matches go their way, Martin Johnson could receive the Zurich Premiership trophy today. Wasps, at the other end of the table, are equally keen to win. With Rotherham signing a deal to share Rotherham United's ground and therefore confident of meeting the criteria for Premiership membership once promotion is secured, one of the aristocrats faces the guillotine. "Relegation is not something I want to dwell on," Worsley said.

This will be the first home match in charge for Warren Gatland, successor to Nigel Melville. "He's doing things slowly and impressively," Worsley added. "He's weighing people up and I think next season you'll see a massive difference. Even last season, when we were successful on the pitch, we weren't very professional behind the scenes. The back-up has not been as good as it should have been and if we can get that right we'll make huge progress."

The "i" in "if" will not be dotted until the final compilation of the table. Wasps' planned move to Wycombe's football stadium has run into problems from the local council and an alternative is to share the Stoop with Harlequins. With Quins the only London club offering Saturday rugby, that could be an attractive proposition, providing both clubs avoid relegation. The only certainty is that Wasps have to leave Loftus Road at the end of the season.