Andy Powell is in trouble following a bar-room brawl © Getty Images

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Teams: England | Wales | Wasps

Senior Wasps officials are understood to be 'angry and frustrated' with No.8 Andy Powell, who has been suspended by the club after suffering a head wound in a bar-room brawl on Monday night.

The Wasps board have launched an investigation into the incident and have received a copy of CCTV footage from the Walkabout Pub in Shepherds Bush, where Powell and team-mate Tim Payne became involved in an altercation with Queens Park Rangers fans.

Newspaper speculation that Powell faces the sack is said to be premature given the internal inquiry has only just begun, but the back-rower's decision to give an unsanctioned interview is believed to have 'made matters worse'.

Powell told the Daily Telegraph that he had been knocked unconscious and required at least 10 stitches after 'a bit of banter' escalated into a fight.

"I was knocked to the ground by a gang who then started to kick and punch me," he said. "I curled up into a ball and put my hands over my face and temples but couldn't cover the back of my head.

"I was then hit by a bar stool and lost consciousness after that but I suffered a pretty bad cut. There was blood everywhere. I think I lost around two pints of blood in the pub and was taken away in an wheelchair and then taken by ambulance to a hospital where they stitched me up."

The Metropolitan Police violent crimes unit are investigating the incident. No arrests have been made and Powell has said he does not want to press charges.

Payne, the England prop, has also been suspended by the club and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) are monitoring the situation. The 31-year-old is a member of England's elite squad and could be selected for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year.

"We are aware of the incident but at the current time this is a matter for the players and their club and we are working with them to understand the facts of the situation," an RFU spokesman said. "We are confident the players will co-operate fully with the club's internal investigation."