England should think more Cipriani

On Sunday 12 April Sale Sharks travelled to the Madejski Stadium in their pursuit of a top six, or even top four, finish in the Aviva Premiership and a Champions Cup spot.

Mike Stanton was at the game and after watching the fly half in action fees there is still work to be done for him to own the England jersey.

Danny Cipriani is one of England Rugby’s more polarising characters. An exceptional talent who looked set for super stardom when he first burst onto the scene in 2007. However, a devastating ankle injury whilst playing for Wasps saw him out for over six months. Following this injury Cipriani lost his way. After his return he was dropped by England as his mentality started to be questioned. A move over to Super Rugby with the Melbourne Rebels saw him continue to build up a less than flattering reputation as he began to feature in off pitch issues.

However, now aged 27 Cipriani has been rejuvenated at Sale Sharks. The straight talking, hard-nosed approach by Sale boss Steve Diamond has grounded the fly half. His form over the past two seasons has seen him back to his best. His flair and attacking mentality now paired with a maturity and attitude that has also seen him back in the mix with Stuart Lancaster’s England squad.

Despite making the bench for all of England’s 2015 6 Nations games, it is fair to say he played a cameo role at best. A few minutes at the end of games shows either there isn’t 100% trust from the England management or that they feel he isn’t up to scratch yet, merely a stop gap until Owen Farrell returns from injury.

He did, however, score with his second touch of the campaign, against Italy and despite the relative little experience on the international stage, just 12 caps, many England supporters want to see the mercurial fly half be given a real opportunity.

It was in perfect conditions that Cipriani took to the field with Sale Sharks last weekend. No wind, blue skies and warm spring sunshine welcoming the players as the came out of the tunnel.

It was a game that showed glimpses of his best but also highlighted the question marks over his play.

Throughout the opening 20 minutes, with Sale dominating possession and territory, Cipriani shone. Standing flat he was not afraid to take the ball up, looking threatening with ball in hand and causing the Irish defence onto their heels.

His distribution was key to the Sale dominance early on. The variety in his passing, from fizzing long balls, deft pops and no-look out the back offloads showed a confident Cipriani in full flow, creating their first two tries.

His tactical kicking was also impressive, again with great variety. Chips over the Irish defence and drilling balls into the corners pinned Irish back. Despite this, his place kicking was off. He missed both of his first half conversion attempts but look to be steering Sale into a 10 – 6 lead at the break, London Irish only still in the game thanks to two Chris Noakes penalties.

However, with the final play of the half Cipriani demonstrated why his attacking mentality and willingness to play that is central to what is great about him, can also be his downfall.

Trailing 10 – 6 London Irish won a penalty 60 metres out. Noakes went for the posts but fell short, Cipriani caught the ball just in front of his own posts. It is this moment that Cipriani’s attacking mentality led him astray. In a tight, physical game if you kick it out you take a narrow lead into half time. Massive for the mentality and a platform to build upon in the second half.

Instead, Cipriani attempted to launch a length of the field try, taking it on before giving a lazy pass to full-back Mike Haley who couldn’t catch it only for Andrew Fenby of London Irish to pounce on the ball, scoring a crucial try that not only took the lead for London Irish but also completely changed the game.

It is moments like this that are why Lancaster is so hesitant to give Cipriani his chance on the biggest stage. International rugby is won by fine margins, and a poor decision can cost you dearly. Had Cipriani kicked it to touch and taken a lead into the break the game would have been completely different. Instead Sale came out looking frantic, and Irish built into the game, ultimately going on to win 25 – 23, that try proving to be decisive.

Having said that, it is not fair to judge the player on just one moment, or even just one game. His form for Sale has been good; playing a key role in them rising up the table. He has earned his England call up and he offers something different. Should he start for England? On reflection probably not, he isn’t as consistent from the tee as Ford and his style of play doesn’t always suit that of Lancaster. Should he be on the bench, yes.

The big decision is Ford or Farrell. Two very similar players, players you would chose to start. The battle for the ten jersey lies between them. However, neither should be on the bench, for them it is start or bust. Cipriani must be the one on the bench, he has the spark to truly change a game.

Cipriani is the magician England should turn to when the chips are down. When they are up against it and need something special that is when you turn to player like Cipriani.

His attempt to run it 100 metres in this game was costly, however it is that mind-set that is needed sometimes. He shouldn’t start at ten for England, but he should be the miracle man waiting in the wings to become the hero.