Danny Cipriani calls for everyone to get behind England at World Cup
Thursday 27 August 2015 16:41, UK
Danny Cipriani says he is "very disappointed" not to have made the England squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
But, in a gracious statement, the Sale Shark said he knew it "was always going to be difficult" to make the make the final 31-man squad, which was unveiled on Thursday.
The 27-year-old fly-half is a versatile performer who can also line up at full-back if needed.
And he played well when he came off the bench during Saturday's 25-20 defeat to France in a warm-up match in Paris, scoring a try as England mounted a late rally.
But it did not prove enough to secure a place in the final squad, with Owen Farrell and George Ford claiming the two fly-half spots, while Mike Brown and Alex Goode are the two full-backs.
I thoroughly enjoyed the camp and fully understand the route the coaches have gone down. I wouldn't be a true competitor if I said I agreed, as we all believe in ourselves, but I had a long way to make up as the squad has been building since 2012
Ciprani subsequently released a statement on Twitter which read in part: "I appreciate how hard selection is.
"There are so many boys that worked hard in camp and got less time than me, so I feel fortunate to get the time that I did.
"There are a lot of class players in the squad and it was always going to be difficult.
"Of course, I would have liked more time to state my case and am very disappointed not to make the squad."
Cipriani made a very impressive first start for England against Ireland back in 2008 but he went into the international wilderness after the autumn internationals and ended up spending time in Australia with the Melbourne Rebels.
He returned to English rugby with Sale in 2012 and made his first England appearance for six years in New Zealand last summer, before earning a place in the pre-World Cup training squad.
However, he has still only earned 14 caps and accepted that he was left with too much ground to make up on other players who have been in the set-up for longer.
"I've worked hard and developed as a player in the last 10 weeks and did all I could," he added. "I thoroughly enjoyed the camp and fully understand the route the coaches have gone down.
"I wouldn't be a true competitor if I said I agreed, as we all believe in ourselves, but I had a long way to make up as the squad has been building since 2012.
"I've had open conversations with Stuart [Lancaster, head coach] and the coaches the whole time and learnt a lot from them and enjoyed my time.
"It's just the start of my journey. I'm going to stay fit and be ready if I'm called upon.
"Now that the call's been made let's just all get behind the team and back the 31. Full of world class players! World Cup in England! Let's be proud Englishmen and back it."
