Danny Cipriani wants a try at Rugby World Cup for England

Duncan Bech 12:55 18/08/2015
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  • Cipriani is targeting a place in the England squad.

    Danny Cipriani is desperate for another chance to prove he should be taken to the World Cup when England meet France in Paris on Saturday.

    Cipriani played half an hour of last weekend’s 19-14 victory over Les Bleus at Twickenham after coming on as a second-half replacement for Alex Goode, but was barely involved as the Red Rose came under pressure.

    Goode’s intelligent performance has reduced Cipriani’s hopes of making the World Cup squad and England are likely to opt for the Saracen as specialist full-back cover for Mike Brown.

    Head coach Stuart Lancaster names his side for the Stade de France showdown this afternoon and Cipriani knows it will be the last opportunity to impress before the final 31-man party is announced by the August 31 deadline.

    “I do hope for another chance. After training for eight weeks during the summer we all had a game to look forward to against France,” Cipriani said. “That was the focus so it’s frustrating not to have as much involvement as you’d like, but that is the game of rugby.

    “Of course I’d have wanted to do more, but I didn’t get a chance to get the ball. You have to do you team role, you can’t just go searching for it and be selfish. You have to do what is appropriate.

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    “I won’t be asking the coaches for a start, it’ll be more about finding out: what more can I do?

    “They put great importance on training. I have to make sure I put my hand up every day. On Saturday the ball just didn’t fall for me, I had one touch and that was all.”

    Fly-half George Ford is set to start the second of two World Cup warm-up matches against France with Brown likely to line up at full-back, meaning the best Cipriani can hope for is a bench spot.

    Meanwhile, Hawk-Eye technology is to be used at next month’s Rugby World Cup.

    World Rugby announced that Hawk-Eye’s SMART Replay service will be used to “strengthen the accuracy and efficiency” of television match official decision-making, while also providing invaluable support for medics in the area of identifying head impacts.

    While protocol will be unchanged relating to questions that the referee asks of the TMO, enhanced technology will see access to simultaneous multiple-angle replays in real-time and slow motion, along with a zoom facility.

    World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said: “Central to our sport is the integrity of player welfare and the match official decision-making process, and we are delighted to deliver a solution that will enhance these critical areas.

    “Following successful tests, the system has clear benefits for the match official team, the medical team and fans around the world.”

    The multi-camera technology was tested at Twickenham three days ago, when England beat France, and will now operate during a major rugby union competition for the first time.

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