Jonny Wilkinson will have a scan and an x-ray on his back tomorrow to determine the cause of the problem that forced him from the field last Sunday 49 minutes into Toulon's Amlin Challenge Cup final against Cardiff Blues. England are due to leave for their summer tour of Australia and New Zealand on Monday.

Wilkinson, the England fly-half, was in such pain that he could barely stand and after the game, as the Toulon players were asked to sit on the ground so photographers could take shots of the Blues lifting the trophy, he struggled to get back to his feet.

Toulon feared he had suffered a cracked rib, which would rule him out of the tour, but Wilkinson himself felt he had suffered a back strain and he was optimistic about what the scan and x-ray would reveal.

"I had a text from Jonny today and he said he was feeling much better," said the Toulon team manager, Tom Whitford. "He feels it is a muscular problem and the reason we delayed his appointment at the hospital was to ensure that if there had been any internal bleeding enough time should have elapsed to ensure a clear image.

"Things will be much clearer after the scan and x-ray. If it is a muscle strain, he should be fine to tour with England. If it is a cracked rib, the chances are it would rule him out but at the moment it is all speculation."

Wilkinson is scheduled to join up with England, who face the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday before flying out to Australia, at the end of the week. He said on Sunday that he thought the problem was a back spasm because he had felt it after making a jinking run rather than after taking contact. "I do not think it will be a big issue," he added, "but my experience with injuries has taught me to look on the bright side."