It may never be known whether Danny Cipriani’s flirtatious glances towards France played any part in his recall to the England
With a home World Cup on the horizon, and creeping towards his late-20s, it could well be his final chance to make his mark on the international stage.
It would be a great shame if Cipriani was destined never to add to his nine Test caps, which makes it all the more important that he grabs onto his latest offering, however slight it may appear.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has made no secret of the fact that George Ford is the man in possession of the No10 shirt, with Owen Farrell a close second.
That would seemingly leave Cipriani in a battle with Stephen Myler for the role of second-reserve, but still there is an opportunity.
Bath and Saracens both have huge European ties this Sunday, meaning neither Ford nor Farrell are likely to train with England for the first part of next week.
There is a feeling that the Londoner is too much of a maverick to fit in. Cipriani is capable of doing things that few other English fly-halves are, but while he still takes the occasional risk, he is no longer the raw 20-year-old that burst onto the international scene in 2008.
Yes, he will attack a gap or make a break anywhere on the pitch if he feels he can gain an advantage but there is much more control to his play these days. Sale would not be in touching distance of the Premiership top four if they had a fly-half who did not know how to manage a game.
Cipriani’s biggest challenge between now and the World Cup, will be to prove to England’s back coaches, Andy Farrell and Mike
Catt, that he has a defensive game to cope at international level.
His performance against Northampton a fortnight ago, as Sale won 20-7 and Cipriani got one over on Myler, will not have gone unnoticed by the watching Lancaster.
Moreover, given that barring injury England look likely to field an ultra-defensive centre pairing of Brad Barritt and Luther Burrell Cardiff, would Cipriani not add some much-needed craft?
Indeed, it could be argued that Barritt and Burrell could give Cipriani the security he needs to fully flourish on the biggest stage.
Safe in the knowledge that the back door was securely bolted, surely he would revel in such freedom.
Cipriani is at his best when he is on the front foot, a platform that is sure to be given to the England No10 by their dominant pack. In such a scenario it is mouth-watering to think of the opportunities in attack if the Red Rose were bold
and picked club-mates Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph.
"There is a feeling Cipriani is too much of a maverick to fit in… but he is no longer the raw 20-year-old that burst onto the international scene in 2008"
The destruction of Toulouse last weekend gave an indication that they can transport their understanding to the biggest stage, and whether it was Bath colleague Ford, or Cipriani, pulling the strings, then England’s midfield would suddenly take on a more
attacking dimension. But while Lancaster and Farrell were full of kind words for Eastmond and Joseph, the mentions of
Barritt and Burrell hinted at their true intent.
Rugby is a simple game, based on territory, possession and most importantly points, but it becomes a lot more engaging when the likes of Cipriani, Eastmond and Joseph are allowed to breathe.
