Cipriani signs 3 year deal with Sale

As title describes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17441993

"I am looking forward to playing with the likes of Andy Powell and Mark Cueto."

Aim for the moon kid

Good move for him and for Sale. I don't think for a second that they'll put up with any funny business from him so he's in for a lot of hard work and sensible living.

With first Richie Gray signing and now Cipriani nice to see as a Sale fan myself that we might finally be making a couple of steps forward.

Tom you've had a good squad this season and done fairly well. A bit more selective rebuilding and Sale could be pushing the top 4 next season. Are Sale retaining Peel?

From all points of view looks like we’re trying to keep hold of him.

Strengthens our position knowing Gatland seems to really dislike him which helps and with Peel being 30 he might just choose to stick.

Just hope Kennedy doesn`t get too distracted with his Rangers ambitions now.

Knowing the vagueness that some of our more southern fellow countymen show about the Northern English cities, Cips is probably thinking 'well I can't get into trouble up there - its supposed to be Grim'

Just wait until he's unleashed on the night life in Manchester.

It'll be like throwing a kid into a sweety shop.

TrailApe he's more likely to blend in with the crowds up there though, in London where there's far more snappers he's easier to pick out when on the drinkies.

Peel at 9, that big centre pairing and Steve Diamond watching over him as coach should give Cips a good enviroment to perform and improve. Let's face it, would you want to be in Diamond's office explaining why the papers have a picture of you falling out of a night club when you were supposed to be at home resting?

Do you reckon Henson would be a good signing? Doesn't look like Cardiff is going to offer him a contract extension even though he has been impressive when he has played.

That's true FKAS, Manchester/Liverpool/Newcastle/Leeds all have an obsession with a different type of footballer. Mr Wilkinson could stroll down the main shopping drag in Newcastle and not get a seconnd glance, whilst any association football players were watched like hawks.

Carl Hayman used to raise a few eyebrows - but that was mainly the good folk of Newcastle wondering why a Bear was wandering around in the shops.

gowales wrote:Do you reckon Henson would be a good signing? Doesn't look like Cardiff is going to offer him a contract extension even though he has been impressive when he has played.

Ideal solution. Get Henson, Cips and Danny Care whilst at it into the nurturing care of the rehab clinic that is Scallytown/Cheshire Set.

I've watched a few Rebels games and it's a good signing. He will be a great 10 in the Jeff, and with the signing of Gray, Sale look strong for next season.

I was hoping that Cipriani would come back a revived and revitalised player.
But from what I've seen of the Rebels games, he is still pretty flakey.

I would have thought that he would like to give it another season playing with the likes of O'Conner and Beale.

propdavid_london wrote:I was hoping that Cipriani would come back a revived and revitalised player.
But from what I've seen of the Rebels games, he is still pretty flakey.

I would have thought that he would like to give it another season playing with the likes of O'Conner and Beale.

Playing behind a pack that goes backwards as much as the Rebels one does can't be that much fun though

[quote="TrailApe"]That's true FKAS, Manchester/Liverpool/Newcastle/Leeds all have an obsession with a different type of footballer. Mr Wilkinson could stroll down the main shopping drag in Newcastle and not get a seconnd glance, whilst any association football players were watched like hawks.

Carl Hayman used to raise a few eyebrows - but that was mainly the good folk of Newcastle wondering why a Bear was wandering around in the shops.[/quote]

He used to come to the coast all the time...he loved his surfing...and I quite often got to chat with him. He was a man mountain but genuinely nice guy...and he used to get some looks walking through Tynemouth

Heres the question...

Is Cipriani any better than...Farrell, Ford, Burns...who are younger and dare i say more mature and focused...?

I'd say hes better than Burns

gowales wrote:I'd say hes better than Burns

Thus many may say that he is better than Ford...

Farrel is avery different type of player....who is better...and who is better for this current England set up...

Kiwi,
I thought that the Rebels had a pretty good scrum last season. It was one of their strengths with Somervill there.
I know that the pack looks pretty poor this season though.

Solid scrum but not dynamic around the park

Thus many may say that he is better than Ford...

Farrel is avery different type of player....who is better...and who is better for this current England set up...

I'd say in playing style Ford is closer to Farrell. They both have that calm unflappable nature and a maturity beyond their years. Ford has the far superior passing and attack game but Farrell is far more developed physically and a much better tackler.

Burns and Cipriani are more alike in that both can play the tactical game but get bored of it quickly and like to attack ball in hand. They can both play 15 as well due to them both being rapid and being able to spot a gap. Burns seems more focussed and puts is body on the line more in defence. Unless Cips shows some real form I'd have all of them over him.

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:

"I am looking forward to playing with the likes of Andy Powell and Mark Cueto."

Aim for the moon kid

Quite.

What is it with Sale? Patron saint of lost causes? Looking to rehabilitate "players who looked as if they might be world class but never were"

Buckley, Powell and now Cipriani. They may as well sign Henson while they are at it.

propdavid_london wrote:Kiwi,
I thought that the Rebels had a pretty good scrum last season. It was one of their strengths with Somervill there.
I know that the pack looks pretty poor this season though.

Cipriani topped the kicking metres stats in SXV last year, largely because most of the ball he got was in his own half - the Rebels pack was poor at the breakdown, and only Gareth Delve did much ball carrying. Cips was also 2nd to Quade Cooper on the missed tackle count.

gowales wrote:I'd say hes better than Burns

Honestly?

I think we all tend to allow Cipriani's persona (and agents manipulations) dominate our thinking. He may well always be an unfulfilled talent - but a talent he most definitely is

I think we allow the fact he only ever put in one good performance for England to cloud our judgement of him. We tend to think of him as a flakey player who is prone to bad mistakes and brings discord to the squad.

You things like what actually happened.

Im not sure how he'll cope emotionally with being seperated from Cooper either.

Couldnt Sale afford Hensons wage demands?


Joking aside I hope he can become the player he threatened to be, but it will take a lot to win me over ( and you know how cynical I am!)
He doesnt exactly fit the bill as a new Lancaster boy, although he is good at doing the "positive self belief" BS in interviews.
There will be a lot of competition for him to get back in the EPS, he certainly wont be named in the initial squad this year. Id assume a big part in Sale being willing to risk taking him on is that he is very unlikely to be playing internationals at least in the short term

EnglishReign wrote:

gowales wrote:I'd say hes better than Burns

Honestly?

Definitely not. The old Cipriani was comparable in certain ways to Burns, but Cipriani's running game (one of his best attributes) has disappeared over the last couple of seasons since his ankle injury. Also Burn's general game mangement is better than Cipriani's.

Flood, Farrell, Ford & Burns are all better options/prospects.

but Cipriani's running game (one of his best attributes) has disappeared over the last couple of seasons since his ankle injury

Wasn't his first try for the Rebels a show and go he ran in from 50 odd metres? The issues he had in his first season were based around a pack going backwards (terrible tight five) and some pretty dodgey centres (Huxley couldn't catch let alone pass). The pace is still there and I think Sale will bring that out of him as they will get him some quality ball to work with.

It's all about improving that defence and getting him to show some aggression.

The analysts (nearly) always get the predictable player styles sussed.

Ashton, Tuppence, Jason Robinson -even Jonah.

It's the unpredictable, rare few like Bod and Shane that cause a quandary.

True, but it is the great players that keep evolving and improving as well. It is a good sign of a player when they add to their game. Think how Robinson, Cueto and Foden have really worked on their kicking game, where as someone like Sackey and Varndell didn't really seem to improve and hence got dropped.

Interesting that Cockerill has come out and said Tigers had a look at the availability of Cipriani but decided "he wasn't right for us". Whether that was financially (strongly suspect it might have been) or personality wise I don't know. Maybe he had in mind Cipriani playing the Murphy full back and secondary play maker role (which could have been good) and Cips wanted the ten shirt.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

but Cipriani's running game (one of his best attributes) has disappeared over the last couple of seasons since his ankle injury

Wasn't his first try for the Rebels a show and go he ran in from 50 odd metres? The issues he had in his first season were based around a pack going backwards (terrible tight five) and some pretty dodgey centres (Huxley couldn't catch let alone pass). The pace is still there and I think Sale will bring that out of him as they will get him some quality ball to work with.

It's all about improving that defence and getting him to show some aggression.

His only try. Yes, it was a decent effort, though the gap he went through was pretty accomodating and part of that was because no one was expecting him to run with the ball. If you listen to the commentary on it the guys actually say they've never seen him run more than a few metres and didn't know he could do it.

What he used to do well was threaten the line and frequently suggest he might do something with ball in hand. This season and last he's just not interested in doing that, he kicks or passes and seems to avoid taking the ball to the line and creating something at all costs. There are better kick & pass FH options, our use for him would be his old running game, which he will have spent two years not utilising, or has left him altogether.

If he comes back to England and shows signs of that style of play again at Sale, then he could well be in the running. My personal opinion is that that old player has gone and that Burns does that style of play better.

If you listen to the commentary on it the guys actually say they've never seen him run more than a few metres and didn't know he could do it.

It was in the first few games though so it's not a suprise the commentary team were taken by suprise. I agree that I'd have Burns over Cips at the minute but I don't think Cips attacking mojo is gone just that he's struggling behind a beaten pack and that he is a confidence player that needs looking after. Perhaps the Rebels aren't the right place for that. Cipriani worked best at Wasps when Geech was there to put an arm round him.

[quote="formerly known as Sam"]

Cipriani worked best at Wasps when Geech was there to put an arm round him.

And before he started to believe his own hype. Those 2 seasons at FB and FH for Wasps he was sensational.

Before his agents convinced him that he didn't need to remember his modest upbringings and the hard work his mum put in to help get him into professional rugby etc etc. Yes, those 2 seasons were what created the image he's still living off today. I think he's still the youngest HEC winner.

The talent is there it just needs the right enviroment to get it out. It may take a lot of work but it could be worth it, then again it could be a complete waste of time and money. Sale have chosen to gamble and give it a go.

Played against him when he was 16, he was silly good then, playing for England U18s (i wasn't, it was a school game!)

Bathite wrote:Played against him when he was 1, he was silly good then, playing for England U18s (i wasn't, it was a school game!)

he played at 1? He must be really good, I couldn't even run then!

Whoops, corrected that now!

If Cips is such a prima donna that he needs mollycoddling on and off the pitch he has no place in an England side and good luck to Sale in their attempt to get their money's worth out of him. Tender 10s are a liability and for me they would have to be able to pull something pretty spectacular out on a regular basis if they are to have any value. I don't have a very high opinion of him (who'd have thought it) and I am totally unconvinced he's got international potential. Don't like big egos that can't back it up when playing.

formerly known as Sam wrote:I don't think Cips attacking mojo is gone just that he's struggling behind a beaten pack and that he is a confidence player that needs looking after.

I don't buy that as the full explanation. Players who are inclined to run with the ball will still try to do that with some frequency even if circumstances aren't always optimum. I watch a decent chunk of Super Rugby games and last season and what has passed of this he's just not been interested in giving his footwork or running a chance. The Rebels aren't always on the backfoot and when it has been on he relies exclusively on his pass and his boot. And his performance for the Barbarians suggests that isn't just a function of being at the Rebels.

I think that when he comes to Sale his invention will continue to be with his passing and kicking rather than his running game. I'm not saying that won't be effective, just that I don't believe the style of play we saw from Cipriani a few years back will be on display again.

He had a bloody good game today until he was subbed off for injury.