Cipriani available for World Cup

Danny Cipriani’s chances of making England’s Rugby World Cup squad have been given a huge boost, after he was re-bailed until November.

The Sale Sharks fly-half, who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving following an early morning car crash in the Chelsea area of west London shortly after 5am on June 1, is now not due to face charges until mid-November pending further inquiries.

Cipriani was unhurt in a collision between his Mercedes and a Toyota following England’s 73-12 victory over the Barbarians at Twickenham. The 27-year old was given a breath test on site and taken to a west London police station before being released on bail a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

The development in the case means Cipriani, who trained with Stuart Lancaster's 45-man World Cup squad in Denver last week, but which is set to be cut to 31 ahead of the opening match with Fiji at Twickenham on September 18, will be available for the tournament, if selected, which ends on October 31.

Lancaster has been coy on Cipriani’s possible exclusion from the squad, having already omitted Dylan Hartley and Manu Tuilagi from World Cup contention on similar disciplinary grounds.

"(I am) waiting to see what the police investigation will determine.”

"At the moment he's not been charged with anything so as a consequence is in camp and training as everyone else is.

"We'll wait and see whether the police will charge or not as the case may be and I'll deal with it as and when it's appropriate."