Danny Cipriani

Daniel Cipriani

Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	14 st 2 lb (90 kg)
School	Tudhoe Donhead The Oratory School Whitgift School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Template:Fly-half / Template:Fullback Current team London Wasps Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2004 ‐ London Wasps 33 (214) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2004 ‐ 06 2007 ‐ 2008 ‐ England U-16 England U-19 England Saxons England 3 (18)

Daniel Jerome Cipriani (born 2 November 1987) is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half, centre and fullback for London Wasps and England.

Biography

Danny's father, Jay, and his mother, Anne, separated soon after his birth. Although Jay returned to Trinidad and Tobago, Danny was able to remain in contact with him. To afford him a better life, his mother learnt The Knowledge to be able to drive a London Taxi, and was able to afford to send him to the Wimbledon College Prep school, Donhead.

Spotted as a Rugby talent at Donhead, he was offered a scholarship and advised to move to the Junior House of The Oratory School near Reading to continue his development, and later moved to Whitgift School in Croydon after Common Entrance. A keen all-round sportsman, Cipriani played junior football for Queens Park Rangers, and was offered youth terms by Reading. He also played schoolboy cricket for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Invited to join Surrey County Cricket Club as a batsman, he played club rugby for the first time at Rosslyn Park in Roehampton where he developed his love and passion for the game.

He appeared on My Super Sweet 16 UK for MTV as a potential escort for one of the birthday girls, but didn't get picked. However, his team mate Dominic Waldouck was invited to the birthday party as a topless model. He was not mentioned by name but was seen in various shots..

In November 2007 he was reported as dating Monica Irimia of The Cheeky Girls fame. The News of the World later revealed that in 2008 he slept with transsexual model Larissa Summers (who has since gone on to star on Channel 4's Vanity Lair) and when Monica Irimia found out she dumped him More recently, he has been pictured on a string of dates with model & presenter Kelly Brook.

Club career

After Alex King left Wasps in the summer of 2007, the fly-half position at the club became vacant, and, after playing in a series of positions for Wasps in the early games of the 2007/08 season, he played 2 games in a row at fly-half, against Gloucester and Munster, London Wasps winning both, not only due to their prowess but also due to Cipriani.

He has played in most of London Wasps' matches in the first half of the season at fly-half. His mixture of good vision, kicking and pace has got him praise from many sources.

He is quicker over 69 meters than Paul Sackey and this story was confirmed by their sprinting coach. Cipriani confirmed this on the Rugby Club and also showed his pace in the EDF Energy Cup final by out pacing speedy Leicester Tigers wing Tom Varndell.

On the 6th October 2008 Cipriani was knocked out in a bust-up with club and international team-mate Josh Lewsey in a training ground fight. Cipriani was left nursing a bloody nose and cut lip following the incident at Wasps’ training ground. The spat started after Lewsey accused Cipriani of missing several tackles during a full-contact session.

International career

Cipriani played fly-half for the U19 England side in the U19 world cup, but was unable to complete the tournament due to a head injury. He initially played in the London Wasps U21 and 'A' sides but in 2007 he became a more regular first team player.

He just missed out on selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup for England after spending the summer in their training camp.

He was called up to the England squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship. Many experts were calling for Cipriani to be picked at full-back to ease him into the international arena, a position he played successfully with London Wasps upon breaking into the first team. He had already been selected for the England Saxons and the training squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. His starting debut for England was due to be realised when he was picked at full-back for the game against Scotland on 8 March 2008. However, two days before Cipriani was to make his full England debut, he was axed from the squad due to "inappropriate behaviour", believed to relate to a late night visit to a London nightclub. He started against Ireland on 15 March 2008,which England won 33-10, replacing Jonny Wilkinson at fly-half. He had a particularly successful match, converting all of his goal kicks and controlling the game well. After the match, he praised the forwards for making life easy for him as a no. 10, although managed to swear during the BBC interview while doing so. Danny was named in the England Saxons squad on July 1st 2008 as part of his rehabilitation for the coming season.

Injury

On Sunday 18 May 2008, Cipriani suffered a serious injury during Wasps' semi-final play-off victory over Bath. Cipriani was tackled by Olly Barkley and got trapped at the bottom of a ruck in the 49th minute at Adams Park. His ankle was severely disfigured.

He needed oxygen on the pitch before being taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery on his ankle. He was ruled out of England's tour of New Zealand after Wasps confirmed he will miss six months with a fracture dislocation of his right ankle.

Return from Injury

Danny Made his return to the London Wasps 1st XV in a Premiership match against Bath on October 1st 2008. His recovery has been described as remarkable, given the severity of the injury, and due to the fact that his return is 6 weeks to 2 months ahead of schedule. London Wasps sprint coach Margot Wells has been quoted as saying that due to Danny's superb attitude and hard work, he will return 'stronger in the tackle, fitter and faster than before'. Following an injury to Jonny Wilkinson, many believe Cipriani could regain the England number 10 shirt for the 2008 autumn internationals.

External links

• Official Danny Cipriani site
• Wasps profile
• England profile
• England new boys - Danny Cipriani