TABLOID REPORTERS SPIKED MY DRINK, CLAIMS DALLAGLIO

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO, the shamed former England Rugby Union captain, has
told friends that he fears his champagne was drugged before he made
astonishing "confessions" about his private life to News of the World
undercover reporters.

Dallaglio's suspicions, which are shared by his girlfriend and
supporters, will be raised with the Rugby Football Union panel
investigating his "disclosures" about his drug-taking past. Senior
representatives of Dallaglio, who resigned the captaincy last week,
have spoken to Sir John Hall, who suspects that his son Douglas, and
Freddy Shepherd, then fellow directors of Newcastle United, may also
have had their champagne drugged before they made outrageous
"confessions" to another News of the World undercover reporter. He
believes that the comments were out of character.

Sir John, former chairman of Newcastle soccer and rugby clubs, spoke
to Andrew Morris, Dallaglio's adviser, and a senior official from the
RFU last week to compare notes over the undercover investigations.
Yesterday, Phil Hall, editor of the News of the World, laughed off
suggestions that the champagne had been drugged. He dismissed the
suspicions of Dallaglio and Sir John as "nonsense", saying he was
aware of the former Newcastle chairman's claims.

The Telegraph has learned that Alice Corbett, Dallaglio's girlfriend
and mother of his two daughters, has also expressed concerns that he
was uncharacteristically "odd" after his two meetings with reporters
at the London Hilton and Conrad International hotels. Sara Pearson,
spokesman for Dallaglio, said yesterday that the player was concerned
that champagne he drank was not opened in front of him.

She said: "The whole thing is so curious. Mr Dallaglio believes the
champagne had an unusual effect on him and it is a drink he is
familiar with. He is adamant that the effect the champagne had on him
was different to any he had had before."

Although Dallaglio, 26, will air his concerns to the RFU panel
studying allegations of drug taking and sex with prostitutes, he has
no proof of his suspicions. He has denied claims that he made to the
News of the World that he had once been a drugs dealer and took
cocaine and ecstasy during a British Lions tour.

It is understood that Sir John has made extensive investigations into
the circumstances of his son's and Mr Shepherd's revelations last
year. The men were taped in Spain criticising Newcastle women and
boasting of ripping off fans.

Yesterday, Phil Hall, who has made the undercover videos available to
the RFU, said: "I think Mr Dallaglio's claims are absolutely wonderful
and I look forward to refuting them. Our investigators' entire
operation was videod. You can see the champagne being opened. The RFU
were shocked by the tapes. Most of Mr Dallaglio's confessions were
made before he drank most of the champagne."