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Wasps director Lawrence Dallaglio has warned that any decision to expand the Guinness Premiership to 14 teams must be in the best interests of English rugby.

Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty raised the possibility in an interview with a Sunday newspaper.

But World Cup-winner Dallaglio told ESPN Scrum: "Fourteen seems to be a fashionable number. The southern hemisphere has gone to 15 now, but France is the Top 14. I think all of these things should be explored, but at the end of the day we have to think about the implications of everything we do.

"The important thing for English rugby is that we have a very competitive and strong domestic competition. We also want to have a very competitive and strong European presence within European Cup rugby and, this is probably the most important one, a strong England national team.

"Whatever decisions are made by the likes of Mark McCafferty and people who know a bit about rugby, they've got to be made in the interest of those three particular areas, not just in the interest of one particular area.

"The success of the England team is important to the success of club rugby in this country and we need to work together to ensure that whatever decision is made about numbers and competitions then it's done in the interest of English rugby. I would always welcome the opportunity to explore all sorts of things but would add an element of caution in just saying that as long as it's in the interest of English rugby, both internationally and domestically, then it's worth doing."