Tuesday 2 June 2015 22:21, UK
Will Greenwood says it's too early to judge Danny Cipriani, but admits it is surprising he has ended up on the front pages again...
The obvious way to open this piece is to say that none of us have all the information about Danny Cipriani’s involvement in the accident in Chelsea on Monday, and as such we need to reserve judgement until we know exactly what he has done.
With that said, how he’s once again ended up on the front page rather than the back will baffle the England rugby community as a whole. Early in his career Cipriani harmed his public image regularly, but in recent times he seemed to be growing into the kind of person that could add to the England team environment.
Against the Barbarians on Sunday Cipriani showcased a set of skills that allowed him to ably lead a young England side to a very impressive win over a team full of experience and talent.
Early in his career Cipriani harmed his public image regularly, but in recent times he seemed to be growing into the kind of person that could add to the England team environment.
Cipriani won man of the match for his performance in front of Stuart Lancaster, who 24 hours before the game watched George Ford and Owen Farrell go head to head in the Premiership final on the same pitch. He’d boosted his World Cup chances immeasurably.
In an interview after the game Cipriani spoke incredibly well; he had the measured tone of a man who had learned from past mistakes and was a better player and person for it. All in all, the timing of his latest performance on the field could not have been any better.
Which can only mean that the timing of his latest indiscretion off the field could not have been any worse.
Distance
Again, the full facts are not yet known, but even if alcohol had no play in this incident - what was he doing out at 5am after such an important day in his England career? Timing is everything in life and in this case, even if he was completely sober, he defied all the maturity he showed at Twickenham the day before.
Whatever happens, Lancaster has put himself in a good position to deal with the matter from a rugby perspective. With the concerns he had around Dylan Hartley and Manu Tuilagi, he moved swiftly to distance them from his World Cup preparations.
We don’t know what support he has offered them to help them as individuals, but as England rugby players they have ruled themselves out through their own behaviour.
Because of this Lancaster will be able to make a quick decision on Cipriani, one that will ensure that England know where they stand well ahead of time, rather than have it hanging over them as they head into the summer camp.
Individual
There have been conversations where people have questioned why there seems to have been a succession of issues with England’s World Cup preparation. Personally I don’t think we can group these incidents together.
Dylan Hartley and Manu Tuilagi are both dealing with their own individual issues that led to them being swept aside by Lancaster. This is not to offer too much sympathy, nor condemnation, but to say that neither are indicative of a problematic team environment. These are transgressions led by individuals, and therefore it’s not fair to point a finger at the RFU or Stuart Lancaster.
Similarly if Cipriani is found guilty of drinking and driving it is the result of the actions of an individual, and if he is guilty of the offence then a complete lack of sympathy for him will extend further than just Pennyhill Park.
Whether or not Danny Cipriani is guilty, he will be kicking himself for finding his way onto the front page once more. It’s a pity from a rugby perspective that his performance on Sunday is not the main talking point of the week, but time will tell whether or not that’s his own fault.
