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The Gavin Henson lesson that won't be lost on Charlie Ewels when Danny Cipriani walks through the Bath door
England lock Charlie Ewels revisited an important past lesson he learned about Gavin Henson when asked on Thursday to talk about Danny Cipriani, the new Bath signing who will arrive with a bit of a reputation when he comes through the door at The Rec in May.
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The 33-year-old Cipriani has been on a sabbatical from rugby since quitting Gloucester in mid-December, but he has now signed a one-year deal that will take him through until the end of the 2021/22 season at Bath. Ewels will be Cipriani’s skipper at the club and while the ex-England out-half comes with a multitude of unflattering opinions surrounding him, the Bath second row won’t pay any attention to the negativity.
The lesson to not judge people until you know them was something not lost on Ewels regarding the 2013/14 arrival of ex-Wales international Henson at Bath. As with Cipriani, Henson was coming with a colourful reputation that Ewels found could not have been further from the truth when he got to know the Welshman from working with him on a daily basis.
“You hear all these stories about players and whatnot and I heard a lot of stories about Gavin Henson before he showed up at the club. Then I met Gav and it completely changed my opinion,” explained Ewels.
“I said to myself I’ll only ever make my own opinions with people. What you hear about lads before you have met them, before you have seen what they do day to day as a pro, is very, very different. So I always form my own opinions of someone when I have been with them in the environment.”
"I want him to come here and be the absolute best version of himself within our team"
– 18 weeks after Danny Cipriani last played a match for Gloucester, Bath believe their new signing will be the real deal #PremRugby https://t.co/HFPh1F3Dnr
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 25, 2021
Ewels already has a brief experience of working with Cipriani as both were on the 2016 England Saxons tour to South Africa and a positive first impression was made. “On that tour, I was 21 but he was brilliant. He was good to me, I learned a lot from him on that tour. It was the first time I properly stepped outside the Bath environment and met lads and he had a different way of seeing the game and I learned a lot from him.
“Again, you can hear the stories, you can see the things that are written in the papers and stuff but until I have been with someone day in day out and worked with them, I won’t form my opinion of what I think of them until then and Danny is a good pro.
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“The perception is that he loose and flamboyant but if you actually watch him, he finds all of his moments within the shape. You speak to lads who played with him on that tour, he is so rigorous on what lines you should run because he knows… he is so good at organising the forwards and organising the guys around him and then he will find his moments in that shape.
“I can tell you now, I can show you clips of lads who play loose.. and defences in this league are too good for someone to be off just doing their own thing. The guys that shine are the guys within the shape and within the attacking structures, they can see the space and then they have got the skill set to throw the option, but it would never be there if they didn’t organise the guys around them.
“We all love working with Rhys (Priestland). We want to push to the end of the season with Rhys, Orlando (Bailey) coming through and then Cips is the next coming in and will be the next step on that. He has got different skills from Rhys, he will have some new ideas around the attack. I went on that Saxons tour with him so I know a little bit of what he is about, I like how he attacks, I like how he sees things, I like how he puts detail on the attack… it will be exciting to work with him.”
RugbyPass Offload EP 22 with Jack Nowell ?
We have Jack on the podcast! ?
Jack joins Zeebs, Christina & Jamie to discuss the crazy Six Nations weekend ?
We cover England rugby & Eddie Jones as well as our Lions XV on current form! ?
?? – https://t.co/8IoxCC8p0H pic.twitter.com/gzv1CxjLc6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 24, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments