Danny Cipriani did not seek England selection assurances before turning down Toulon

Danny Cipriani has made a regular return to the England squad during the Six Nations after more than five years of absence.

The mercurial fly-half had been linked with a big-money move to European champions Toulon in recent weeks but after winning back his place in the England squad, he has opted for a long-term future with Sale.

Cipriani sought no assurances from the England management but with Stuart Lancaster's policy of not selecting players outside of England, he is determined to make the most of a fresh opportunity rather than take his talents to Toulon.

"They had approached my manager,” Cipriani said. “They were in the market for a 10 (fly-half) and conversations got fairly down the line. But there were a lot of things I had to think about before I made my decision.

“Obviously playing for England was my main goal, and if I felt like if I wasn't really going to get a chance then another way of winning trophies was going to Toulon."

Cipriani made his international debut at the age of 20 when he came on as a midfield replacement in the 2008 Six Nations. He endured a troubled start to his England career, trying to provide direction to a team incapable of finding its rudder since losing in the World Cup final the year before.

A few months later, days after turning 21, he played against the All Blacks at Twickenham in what was his last game for his country for over five years.

He continued with club side Wasps before joining Melbourne Rebels for a two-year stint then signed for Sale in 2012, since when the man many said was difficult to manage has grown into his role as a senior member of the squad.

His performances for club were noticed by country, and soon his name was mentioned as potential squad member in Stuart Lancaster's team. With this season's Six Nations nearing, there was an enquiry from the reigning champions of Europe and hosts to the most exciting squad in club rugby – Toulon.

I wasn't looking for any assurances, it was just squad-selection pending. I hadn't got into the autumn squad and I felt like I was playing well, but every time I haven't quite made a squad I've had to go back and do better.

No assurances

It was a tough decision for a man who’d briefly featured in England’s summer tour last year. He knew that by signing for a French side he would be drawing a line through international contention.

Cipriani maintains that while conversations took place, he had not asked Lancaster for any formal assurance about his international future before turning his back on a lucrative move to the south of France.

Cipriani added: "I wasn't looking for any assurances, it was just squad-selection pending. I hadn't got into the autumn squad and I felt like I was playing well, but every time I haven't quite made a squad I've had to go back and do better.

“That was part of the reason why Stuart said he picked me; every time a challenge was set ahead of me, he could see that I went back and achieved it.

"I did everything I could to put my hand up and be a better player. That's all you can do and that's all I've done, and I feel very fortunate to be back in the system and I’m loving every minute of it.

"It's exactly what I was striving towards, and I'm very honoured to come to training every day and be involved in such a great coaching setup with a great group of lads who are building something special, and from whom I can learn every day. It's been a privilege and I'm thoroughly enjoying it."

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