‘Instinctive’ Danny Cipriani goes back to the basics
Reformed rebel finds guidance in an unlikely source as he returns to the England fold
Danny Cipriani believes learning to trust the instincts that once made him the hottest property in English rugby can revive his test career in New Zealand.
The Sale fly-half has been in England exile for six years since winning the last of his seven caps.
But the man once seen as the heir to Jonny Wilkinson’s England No. 10 shirt now finds himself going head-to-head with Freddie Burns to start against the world champion All Blacks in Auckland on June 7.
First-choice England stand-off Owen Farrell is unavailable for the series opener because of Saracens’ involvement in Saturday’s Premiership final, as is Northampton’s in-form Stephen Myler, while Bath’s George Ford – reserve stand-off during the Six Nations – is injured.
Shortly after bursting on the test scene, Cipriani became almost as well known for his celebrity off-field lifestyle, something that didn’t sit well with Martin Johnson when the 2003 World Cup-winning captain was England coach.
I knew I had to make some changes, get my head down and do things the rugby way, and that realisation came probably in April last year.
A brief spell at Australia’s Melbourne Rebels did little for Cipriani’s test chances, but since returning to England in 2013 he has won praise for his work at northwest side Sale.