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The Maddening Genius of Danny Cipriani

By Martyn Thomas
danny

As Sale Sharks came out victorious at a storm-battered AJ Bell Stadium on Easter Weekend, the England fly-half reminded Martyn Thomas of his mercurial talents.

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Britain was battered by high winds for much of the Easter weekend, as Storm Katie left a trail of destruction while she waltzed her way across the UK and towards the North Sea.

Indeed in Manchester on Sunday evening, conditions were so bad that it took a pilot three attempts, and four hours, to land a passenger plane at the city’s airport.

Elsewhere, flights were cancelled and buildings damaged as gusts of up to 106mph took hold.

It would be fair to assume, therefore, that few made the trip to the AJ Bell Stadium – located around 10 miles north of the airport – in expectation of witnessing any running rugby as Sale Sharks hosted Leicester Tigers.

Yet, despite ferocious gusts in Salford that forced a temporary halt to proceedings during the second half, the 7,687 fans in attendance were given plenty to marvel at.

At the heart of a 27-20 victory for the hosts that ignites their push for a European Champions Cup spot, was the mercurial genius of fly-half Danny Cipriani.

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Cipriani is a player who can fire and frustrate in equal measure but this was one of those days on which he leaves you aghast at his meagre haul of 14 Test caps – of which all but four have come off the England replacements’ bench.

He was undoubtedly the main man on Sunday, setting up Sale’s first try, providing the clearance kick that – following a somewhat fortuitous bounce on the right touchline – led to their second and then sniping for the line to grab the game-winning score himself.

Sale director of rugby, Steve Diamond, labelled the decisive try as “brilliant” and described Cipriani’s overall display as “a complete performance”.

When you consider the 28-year-old also contributed 12 points with the boot, it is easy to see why.

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How Diamond must wish he had convinced Cipriani to extend his stay in the north-west of England beyond the end of this campaign.

Following a tumultuous few years, the playmaker has flourished in Sale and as his coach noted on Sunday he is not playing like someone who wants to leave.

But that is exactly what Cipriani will do. A return to Wasps beckons in the summer and it is a switch that he hopes will bring with it both silverware and greater England recognition.

“The good thing was that we had a sit down and he wants to get us as high up in the league as he can,” Diamond admitted on the weekend.

Given their current trajectory, Wasps should provide the perfect platform.

Whether he arrives at the Ricoh Arena next season having toured Australia with England only time will tell. Eddie Jones’ arrival at Twickenham had been perceived as a fresh start for Cipriani, however, he was forced to watch on as England claimed the Grand Slam.

Jones has not ruled out a recall but he has told the fly-half he must work for it. And like his predecessor, Stuart Lancaster, the Australian clearly feels Cipriani has plenty to work on.

Under Lancaster, it was a perceived lack of defensive ability that hindered Cipriani, and his performance on Sunday, however mercurial, would not have helped his cause in that regard.

While near-faultless in attack, Cipriani missed seven of 17 tackles and conceded a turnover. In international rugby, where weaknesses are targeted and ruthlessly exposed, it is understandable that coaches weigh up the pay-off of his undoubted talent.

At 28, time is not in plentiful supply for Cipriani, especially when there are players of the quality of Owen Farrell, George Ford and Henry Slade in contention to wear the No.10 shirt.

Slade could well end up becoming England’s long-term incumbent there, but Farrell will certainly not give anything up without a fight.

He has risen to the challenge of losing his Test place admirably, and provided 14 points – including an excellent try – as Saracens returned to the top of the Premiership with a 36-18 defeat of Exeter.

Twenty-four hours later, Diamond revealed an announcement on Cipriani’s successor “will be made in the next week or so.”

Cipriani’s will be huge boots to fill. Unless Farrell has been tempted into an unlikely return north, that is.

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Jon 6 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 8 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.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 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

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