Danny Cirpriani still holds hope of forcing England recall
Friday 21 October 2016 13:39, UK
Wasps fly-half Danny Cipriani still hopes to force his way into Eddie Jones’ plans, despite being left out of England’s training squad for the forthcoming autumn internationals.
Jones named a 45-man elite player squad in preparation for England's games against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia at Twickenham, which begin next month, but Cipriani was one of several high-profile omissions alongside Chris Ashton and Luther Burrell.
To add insult to injury, the man who left Wasps as Cipriani arrived from Sale in the summer, Saracens' Alex Lozowski, made the squad.
Cipriani, who won the last of his 14 caps in the World Cup warm-up game against France in August 2015, will turn 29 on November 2 but he remains determined to add to that total.
"As with any English player, it is something you are always to think about," Cipriani told Sky Sports News HQ, speaking at the launch of NFL House.
"But the gauntlet has been set for any player that has not been picked and you have got to get back to your club and keep playing good rugby and do that to the best of your ability.
"I am excited about the challenge at Wasps. I truly love being back at the club. It is a club that means a lot to me so I am excited to see where we can go this season."
Cipriani's second spell with Wasps is off to a fine start with Dai Young's side playing some scintillating attacking rugby with him at the pivot.
Wasps have won five of their six matches in the Aviva Premiership and scored an impressive 210 points, 35 more than nearest rivals Saracens.
Cipriani is part of an extremely potent backline that also includes the likes of Elliot Daly and Christian Wade and he is enjoying forging chemistry with his new team-mates.
"I am really enjoying it and enjoying playing every week with a new set of guys," Cipriani said.
"The thing that attracted me the most was the talent in the squad - how much ability there is and being able to train with that every day and trying to implement my style on that a little bit.
"I am looking forward to seeing how we go over these next six weeks and seeing if we can build on what we have done."
Wasps ran in 12 tries in their opening Champions Cup fixture against Zebre last weekend as they strolled to an 82-14 win at the Ricoh Arena but a much stiffer test awaits them this weekend as they travel to the south of France to take on Toulouse.
Toulouse are still smarting after throwing away a 21-11 half-time lead against Connacht last weekend, with the Irish side coming from behind to win 23-21, and Cipriani knows Wasps face a difficult task on Sunday.
"In the European Cup, there are different challenges the whole time and playing away in France is one of the toughest you will get," Cipriani said.
"You don't get many victories in France as a rugby player so if we do get the win the boys are going to remember it for a long time and if we don't quite get there it is going to be something for us to learn from.
"It is going to be a good weekend for us to grow as a team."
Cipriani was speaking at the launch of NFL House in London ahead of the NY Giants v LA Rams clash at Twickenham on Sunday. NFL House is exclusive to NFL Fan Mobile Pass members - REGISTER now to enjoy all the fun and excitement.
