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Is there more to Cipriani's Gloucester exit than meets the eye? - Andy Goode

By Andy Goode
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Six months is a long time in rugby but something has gone badly wrong for Danny Cipriani to go from eulogising over George Skivington’s appointment to leaving Gloucester in such a short space of time. The head coach can say there is no story here and he has rightly nipped it in the bud to avoid an ongoing saga – but it is big news and people are inevitably going to be talking about it.

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Cipriani described Skivington’s appointment at the end of June by Gloucester as “the most exciting announcement of a head coach I have seen in rugby”, adding he was “the type of man you build a club around”.

Of course, players are going to say favourable things when a new coach comes in but those are particularly glowing endorsements and it is inevitable that people are going to ask questions about how things have gone south so quickly.

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What we do know is that he was disappointing in his last outing for the Cherry and Whites, the 38-15 defeat at Leicester last month, and I understand after being dropped for the following game against Wasps he didn’t turn up for training which resulted in things coming to a head in double-quick time.

In truth, the form of Cipriani hasn’t been good for a while now and he was left out of the Gloucester squad for the game against Wasps the following week.

Gloucester are left with Lloyd Evans and youngster George Barton as their only fly-half options for the remainder of this season unless someone is brought in on a short-term deal before Adam Hastings’ arrival in the summer. That decision wouldn’t have been taken lightly, especially with Cipriani having almost two years left on his contract. He signed a new three-year contract at the club in April 2019.

He has been through a tough time over the past year or so and that may have had a part to play, but it looks like he has found happiness off the field now judging by his activity on social media.

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Cipriani made 50 passes that led to a break in his 35 Premiership games for Gloucester, which is a massive 17 more than any other player in the whole league during his time there, and nobody can better his 21 try assists during that period of time either.

He won the RPA players’ player of the year award in 2018/19 having inspired Gloucester to a first Premiership play-off appearance for eight years but it’s another instance of his time at a club being cut short. When you are as high profile as Danny is, having burst onto the scene for England at the age of 21, the headlines are going to follow you around to a certain extent.

However, from the night out on the eve of his supposed international debut to the bus in Sale to the incident in Jersey to whatever the circumstances are behind him ending his contract at Gloucester so early, there is a lengthy list of them.

The fact that his England career clearly appears to be over may be a significant factor in all of this as well. I was championing him to start for England a few years ago and he did get a fleeting opportunity on the tour to South Africa in 2018.

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He seemed to take his chance in the third Test on that trip but Eddie Jones hasn’t picked him since. A lot of people will argue that he has never been given a fair crack of the whip at international level but it’s Jones’ prerogative to pick who he wants.

Cipriani signed this Gloucester contract when he still had realistic England ambitions and with that ambition having since faded, he may have thought a new challenge elsewhere could be more up his street and that could have been an issue.

My understanding is he was one of the players who had the ear of chief executive Lance Bradley when all the turmoil was going on behind the scenes at Kingsholm last season so it’s fair to wonder what Johan Ackermann and David Humphreys are thinking right now as well.

It will be interesting to see what Cipriani’s next move is because he is a mercurial talent and I’m sure still has a lot to give on the field, but I’m not sure there will be too many Premiership clubs looking at him in the current climate.

I know he likes the US and spends a lot of time in California but I’m not sure Major League Rugby has the finances to make him an offer he can’t refuse, and he seems very settled in his home life so a move abroad may not be the perfect fit at the moment.

Whatever happens in the future, though, everyone loves watching Cipriani play when he is at his best and it’s just a shame that another spell at a club has been shorter than expected. Hopefully, there is a bit more to come yet.

I had more than my fair share of clubs towards the end of my career after a decade at Leicester and there are two sides to every story when it comes to a player leaving a club. But you just hope he doesn’t regret the somewhat nomadic nature of his career and what has transpired at different clubs when all is said and done and he has hung up the boots.

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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