Danny Cipriani

Haven't heard much about the maverick for a while now... once touted as the next big thing in English rugby, it will be interesting to see how he performs for the Barbarians with so many top quality experienced players around him.

This Super rugby season will be massive for him. His first season by his own admission didn't go as well as he would have planned. Constantly playing on the back foot, we only saw glimpses of his talent. His goal kicking and general kicking game looks very strong though. Hopefully he's manned up a bit when it comes down to defence, he's definitely got the size, I guess its just a confidence issue that he needs to sort out. Having Kurtley Beale and James O'Conner outside him will do him the world of good, whilst hopefully his playboy attitude will have calmed down a bit now.

Hopefully he will come back to English rugby, reinvigorated and for the 2012/2013 season. However who is he going to play for? His first choice Wasps have Nicky Robinson as first choice and Ryan Davis as back up. Harlequins have Nick Evans and Rory Clegg as back up. Bath who were previously interested have Stephen Donald and the emerging Tom Heathcote. Saracens have Charlie Hodgson and Owen Farrell as their first choice fly halves. Leicester have Toby Flood and the emerging George Ford. Northampton have Ryan Lamb and Stephen Myler fighting over the fly half spots. The only sides I could see Cipriani starting at 10 for would be Newcastle who are most likely to get relegated, Worcester who may not match his ambitions. London Irish, Sale or Gloucester... I feel Sale would be the most likely choice as Manchester is a big city, with a huge nightlife and Sale don't have a recognised fly half, whilst they are a club moving forward with some big signings...

So where do you think Cipriani will be playing his rugby in the 2012/2013 season? he has to come back to England if he is serious about matching his international ambitions...

If by some miracle...he has grown up, and actually fulfils the potential some of us could see in him...then this could be a big season for him....and if he's happy and his club is...who's to say he wouldnt stay on for another season after that.

If the above happens...then im sure there are a few clubs who would take the chance on him...

But as i say it would be a miracle if he has grown up....

Good to see Cips back on the boards again...was thinking there was a cips ban here for a while.

Perhaps he would have fit right in with the squad that came here. In all honesty he's got to be more confident of a position with the winds of change at 10 so perhaps a fresh start would do him good. Looking forward to the match.

If he shows good form in the Next 2 super seasons, he would be an awesome pick for the lions tour to oz in 2013. He would have priceless knowledge about the opposition, and if 2 years of having massive islanders hitting you on the rugby pitch doesn't make you grow up im not sure what will.

He's going to have much better runners to use this year in Beale, JOC, Mitch Inman and Lloyd Johhanson who are a step up on the likes of Huxley, Hilgendorf and Mitchell. On the other hand, JOC and Beale both spent time at 10 last year so he will have to perform (and not play up) as they have options to replace him.

You name every prem team there bar Chiefs. We wouldn't have him either!

robshaw4england Gloucester,Sale or London Irish wouldn't be bad picks for Cipriani.

Sale would be an obvious candidate. They have the money and are eager to draw in some big names, plus 10 is a weak spot for them.

I think Wasps will have first dibs though (i.e. he'll be keen to return so will approach them first), and I'm sure James Haskell will be in his ear. Talented though Ryan Davis is, Cipriani has more capabilities.

As said above, alot hinges on this season. He must deliver consistently.

FES you say Sale have the money. Where are they getting it from?

Brian Kennedy, or has he had enough?

No idea, but they've signed about 100 zillion players in the last 12 months and have just forked out on a rather large contract for Richie Gray.

Towards the end of last season Brian Kennedy had suggested that Sale were in financial trouble, had failed to reach the 10,000 average attendence on which they had modelled their financials (getting only between 5000-6000), and would have to cut their cloth accordingly. Yet they've sold and signed upteen players and just forked out for Richie Gray, who would not have been cheap. Obviously they'll have got rid of some big earners like Charlie Hodgson and signed some cheaper younger players like McKenzie and Vernon, but they also bought up internationals like Powell and Fourie, and have clung on to Sheridan, Gaskell and Cueto. Not sure how much they'll have cut the wages in that venture.

If they could afford him, he'd be a great fit there I think.

Quite possibly it's Russian money?

Richie Vernon, a Scottish international is cheap?

Danny Cipriani shouldn't be able to command very high wages in my opinion.

To be honest I don't know how Kennedy made his money.

Vernon wasn't really in the Scotland 1st XV when he was signed, and would have been on a pretty cheap contract at Glasgow before moving. He's young, so it would probably have been his first or second contract, signed before he made the Scotland squad. Also remember that the players north of the border on average earn less, so I don't think Sale would have had to pay much to get him. It was probably a bargain, because he showed up well at the World Cup I thought, and has played well so far for Sale.

I agree. Cipriani hasn't done enough to command big wages, but he will, purely because of his profile and marketability. If he has a good season for the Rebels, then he'll command even more. It's not fair but that's life. A player like Stephen Myler for example has contributed so much more to Northampton than Cipriani has contributed to any club, but the fact remains that one of them can win a match and rip a good defence to pieces (and putting bums on seats in your stadium), whilst the other will forever be solid, reliable but ultimately boring.

Assuming he does well in Oz, then wants to come back, I think he would be stupid if he went to a London club, but I also think he will. If he goes to London he will get hounded by the press again and have too many "distractions" around him. I think he should go to one of Sale, Newcastle, Exeter, Gloucester or Leicester (as if they'd take him!). Basically try to avoid controversy and try to go somewhere with few primadonnas! He won't, he will come back and sign for someone like Harlequins or Wasps, get in trouble with the press and become rubbish again. I hope I'm wrong though.

FES true but to be fair to Cipriani a while back now he did help Wasps win a HC! He was excellent in the final vs Leicester.

Is Myler being pushed out by Lamb?


screaming addabs why would Quins need him when they have Evans and Clegg?

Which team do you think has primadonnas?

I don't think Exeter or Leicester would suit him!

Sale,Gloucester or London Irish IMO.

My friend (who is a Wasps fan) thinks he'll link back up with Wasps once his stint in Super Rugby is over. I've questioned him about it, but all he tells me is that he has a good reason to believe it is true. He's usually right about this sort of thing, but it could be BS.

Quins wouldn't have him. Evans and Clegg is a pretty awesome duo to have on your books, and I think they're already struggling to hang-on to Clegg given the lack of game time they can guarantee him.

Exeter's strength is work ethic and team spirit. I'm not sure Cipriani is a clever fit there, and with Flood at Leicester, it doesn't make sense for him to go there.

Northampton might be an option, but I'm fairly certain that they're already close to the salary cap, so someone would have to make way.

Sale for my money is a good choice, and I do think Wasps will be in the running, looking to get both Haskell and Cipriani back (plus Tom Rees returning from injury). That would be a massive boost for them, provided they can find the finance to do it.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Quins wouldn't have him. Evans and Clegg is a pretty awesome duo to have on your books, and I think they're already struggling to hang-on to Clegg given the lack of game time they can guarantee him.

Exeter's strength is work ethic and team spirit. I'm not sure Cipriani is a clever fit there, and with Flood at Leicester, it doesn't make sense for him to go there.

Northampton might be an option, but I'm fairly certain that they're already close to the salary cap, so someone would have to make way.

Sale for my money is a good choice, and I do think Wasps will be in the running, looking to get both Haskell and Cipriani back (plus Tom Rees returning from injury). That would be a massive boost for them, provided they can find the finance to do it.

Agreed, there's no way that Rob Baxter and Ali Hepher would take him with his 'attitude'

Well Harlequins have those players now....

He might well not get in at quins, I was just saying that he would try to go to a club in/near London and then the press would hound him. If he had sense he would go somewhere like Exeter or Leicester (if they'd take him) and show that he just wants to get his head down and work hard.

There, luckily, aren't too many primaddonas at the mo, so it was probably a bad choice of words, I mean that he will try to go somewhere with high profile players etc.

I suppose I just want him to come back and knuckle down with a bit less ego. Play for whoever will take him and try and be a team player. Avoid the star studded teams and play for a team with a bit of grit and desire (like exeter) or a team with a renowned no nonsense approach like Leicester.

Go to a team with a good number 10 and say, metaphorically say that is, "I'm going to work so hard and play so well that he will be your back up by the next season and I will be first choice"

A team with grit and desire? Exeter surely aren't the only side with that.

I think Exeter and Cipriani are like chalk and cheese.

Leicester are pretty star studded in terms of well known players!

The only teams which fit the bill in my opinion are London Irish,Gloucester and Sale.

Things that the stint with the Rebels proved were:

1 He is a very good short range goalkicker and tactical kicker- one of the best in the competition
2 He is an ok distributor
3 He is a good runner with the ball on the odd occasion he chooses too
4 He is a hopeless tackler, one of the worst seen in the tournament simply because he shirks it so when tries is hopeless.
5 He refrains from doing his bit taking the ball to the line, one offs, all the things essential to maintaining go forward momentum- again, because he shirks the responsibility with the tough stuff, getting stuck at the bottom of the ruck, messing his make up possibly for the upcoming night out.
6 He still likes to party.

So for this season he needs to:

1 Find more grit, get stuck into tackling, and take the line and get involved in the support play- the little things that make small differences rather than waiting for the 'I'm it' game breakers that rarely come. That will help with his confidence and abilities to run the backline, and make more breaks, something he showed with a brilliant try last year- once.

2 Continue with his kicking, adding to his range- something becoming more valuable in the tactical area.

3 Party without making the news all the time. I don't think he's quite in the Guilford mode as Cips is a confidence issue- he loves people to know who he is when he's out, and plays to it, Guilford the opposite- lack of confidence, and obviously some depression in there.

All in all, fits the ideal mould of the modern 10 I reckon, just needs to sand the rough edges, and harden up on the field.

beshocked wrote:A team with grit and desire? Exeter surely aren't the only side with that.

I think Exeter and Cipriani are like chalk and cheese.

Leicester are pretty star studded in terms of well known players!

The only teams which fit the bill in my opinion are London Irish,Gloucester and Sale.

I didn't say they were the only ones. I said somewhere like...

Gloucester and Sale would be good options. London Irish I think less so because they are in London and I think he should avoid being near London's celebrity culture that he may well get dragged back into. Leicester are fairly star studded but are also renowned for their hard training and commitment, plus the fact that every player has to really earn the shirt. Again, I'm sure this is true at other places, but Leicester have that reputation more than others.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Sale would be an obvious candidate. They have the money and are eager to draw in some big names, plus 10 is a weak spot for them.

I think Wasps will have first dibs though (i.e. he'll be keen to return so will approach them first), and I'm sure James Haskell will be in his ear. Talented though Ryan Davis is, Cipriani has more capabilities.

As said above, alot hinges on this season. He must deliver consistently.

Taylorman wrote:Things that the stint with the Rebels proved were:

1 He is a very good short range goalkicker and tactical kicker- one of the best in the competition
2 He is an ok distributor
3 He is a good runner with the ball on the odd occasion he chooses too
4 He is a hopeless tackler, one of the worst seen in the tournament simply because he shirks it so when tries is hopeless.
5 He refrains from doing his bit taking the ball to the line, one offs, all the things essential to maintaining go forward momentum- again, because he shirks the responsibility with the tough stuff, getting stuck at the bottom of the ruck, messing his make up possibly for the upcoming night out.
6 He still likes to party.

So for this season he needs to:

1 Find more grit, get stuck into tackling, and take the line and get involved in the support play- the little things that make small differences rather than waiting for the 'I'm it' game breakers that rarely come. That will help with his confidence and abilities to run the backline, and make more breaks, something he showed with a brilliant try last year- once.

2 Continue with his kicking, adding to his range- something becoming more valuable in the tactical area.

3 Party without making the news all the time. I don't think he's quite in the Guilford mode as Cips is a confidence issue- he loves people to know who he is when he's out, and plays to it, Guilford the opposite- lack of confidence, and obviously some depression in there.

All in all, fits the ideal mould of the modern 10 I reckon, just needs to sand the rough edges, and harden up on the field.

Real nice description Taylorman. Have to agree with nearly everything there, but didn't Cips nail some 50 yard+ kicks at times? You are right though he needs to do the smaller things more often and then the big things will come naturally.

And that one break off the lineout was immense. For me it's the solo SupeRugby try of the season.

Yeah I meant increasing his range by mixing it up more, even though he does already- from memory the fullback took most of the long ones but he was deadly from anything up to 40.

The try was brilliant but it took a 'safe situation'- half gap to have a go. His more taking the half chances- albeit at the risk of being smashed, could be so much more effective, even just to gain the extra yard or two and with better runners off him apparently this year (c/- boomeranga) should make the most of it. the England 10 looks 'available'

Just think its a waste really. Lots of talent, less bravery and application...

Taylorman wrote:Things that the stint with the Rebels proved were:

1 He is a very good short range goalkicker and tactical kicker- one of the best in the competition
2 He is an ok distributor
3 He is a good runner with the ball on the odd occasion he chooses too
4 He is a hopeless tackler, one of the worst seen in the tournament simply because he shirks it so when tries is hopeless.
5 He refrains from doing his bit taking the ball to the line, one offs, all the things essential to maintaining go forward momentum- again, because he shirks the responsibility with the tough stuff, getting stuck at the bottom of the ruck, messing his make up possibly for the upcoming night out.
6 He still likes to party.

So for this season he needs to:

1 Find more grit, get stuck into tackling, and take the line and get involved in the support play- the little things that make small differences rather than waiting for the 'I'm it' game breakers that rarely come. That will help with his confidence and abilities to run the backline, and make more breaks, something he showed with a brilliant try last year- once.

2 Continue with his kicking, adding to his range- something becoming more valuable in the tactical area.

3 Party without making the news all the time. I don't think he's quite in the Guilford mode as Cips is a confidence issue- he loves people to know who he is when he's out, and plays to it, Guilford the opposite- lack of confidence, and obviously some depression in there.

All in all, fits the ideal mould of the modern 10 I reckon, just needs to sand the rough edges, and harden up on the field.

Has he been charged down at all? That you to be his most famous on the field weakness

Didn't see it last year. Mind you, many are guilty of that these days the lines being so pressured these days.

Baabaas is it? Perfect opportunity to kick start next year for him. Whens the match?

It was quite strange how little he took the ball to the line last season for the Rebels, because it was something he used to do quite a bit and seemed to enjoy for Wasps. Interviews with McQueen confirmed that it was primarily down to a gameplan that was centred on territory and tactical kicking, leaving the less frequent running to bigger strike players. It'll be interesting whether with a new head coach, more firepower in the backs, but still a bit weak in the forwards, they chance their arm a little more.

I wish him well, but don't think he'll ever be consistent enough a player at international level.

Why is Cips still on anyones radar? Its clear that he's no team player and carries loads of "baggage".

who would seriously have him?

tigerleghorn wrote:Why is Cips still on anyones radar? Its clear that he's no team player and carries loads of "baggage".

who would seriously have him?

I'd have thought because England failed to bring a international standard class 10 to the world cup. The book is now open for bets I would have thought... from what I saw of him last year looked better than anything I saw last few weeks.

Taylorman wrote:

tigerleghorn wrote:Why is Cips still on anyones radar? Its clear that he's no team player and carries loads of "baggage".

who would seriously have him?

I'd have thought because England failed to bring a international standard class 10 to the world cup. The book is now open for bets I would have thought... from what I saw of him last year looked better than anything I saw last few weeks.

To be fair New Zealand won the thing without having one for most of the games

Taylorman wrote:Good to see Cips back on the boards again...was thinking there was a cips ban here for a while.

Taylor, There was a moratorium on Cipriani comments during the World Cup. There was one violation I was aware of, but after the application of electrical cables to the person's privates, calm was once more restored. However, the RWC is over and we are no longer in a Cipriani-free zone. I would suppose once the Super 15 starts we will see more Cipriani comments. And if England play poorly in the 6N, well, this stuff will be off the charts and out of control. In other words, the natural order will be restored.

Just wanted to say Danny Cipriani is a very good player. His weaknessess are obvious but so are his many stregnths. Him and Flood and Owen Farrell should be the three fly half options for England, not Wilikinson or Hodgson.

http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/880453-danny-cipriani-to-be-new-star-of-the-bachelor-after-gavin-henson

Not sure if this has gone under the radar but Danny Cipriani might follow in the footsteps of his role model Gavin Henson aka Tango Man.

beshocked wrote:http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/880453-danny-cipriani-to-be-new-star-of-the-bachelor-after-gavin-henson

Not sure if this has gone under the radar but Danny Cipriani might follow in the footsteps of his role model Gavin Henson aka Tango Man.

Pity Martin Johnsons married or he couldve had the job.