Quelle surprise, Cips is in the news for non rugby reasons again, although not sure "rugby player misbehaves after a few pints" warranted the coverage it received. Blame the "quiet news" time of year, when sports reporters are kicking their heels. Danny has history, and he is obviously no saint, but then again, neither is Johan Ackermann, the Gloucester coach, who was involved in a fracas in a Cheltenham club at Xmas.
And does this latest incident mean he is less likely to perform for his new club this season, or deliver for England? No, certainly not. Cipriani, like Finn Russell, is a high risk player, who offers his club and country something different, especially the ability to unlock a well organised defence, invaluable in the over structured games we see in the Premiership. As a junior coach, I had to manage a few similar characters like Danny, although unfortunately, none with his ability, and always picked them to start, and withdrew them when we needed to close out a tight game. But their influence on every match was always considerable. So come on Danny, your club needs you, and so does England, especially in RWC year, so "let your rugby do the talking, not the Staropramen!".
