Matt has picked an unfortunate moment to abandon the squad Nigel Melville

The Gloucester director of rugby feels the commitment of the Wasps scrum-half has now been called into question.

He said acting head coach Andy Robinson had no option but to drop Dawson.

"What message does it send out to the team if one of your most experienced players is allowed to do whatever he likes?" Melville told The Guardian.

"Matt has made his priorities quite clear," added Melville, who worked with Dawson and England's other scrum-halves ahead of the successful World Cup campaign last year.

"Matt has also picked an unfortunate moment to abandon the squad, with England trying to regroup following the loss of Lawrence Dallaglio and others.

"It undermines Andy's position when experienced players are saying they don't really want to train with the squad."

Zinzan Brooke: Dawson has done nothing wrong

Melville said Dawson's decision had also thrown a cloud over his commitment to his new club Wasps.

"There were a lot of question marks when he signed, with the players unsure whether he really wanted to be there or just wanted to live in London," said Melville, himself a former coach of Wasps.

"What has happened this week must call into question his commitment to them."

Melville, who has been tipped as a potential successor to former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward, said Dawson had disregarded "one of sport's golden rules: that the team always comes before the individual".