LONDON – Yet another English player is in doubt to be available for the 2015 Rugby World Cup after Danny Cipriani was arrested under suspicion of drink driving in West London early Sunday morning.
The latest occurrence in a string of English players’ misdemeanours came hours after Cipriani starred in an English XV that destroyed the Barbarians at Twickenham 73-12. And after Stuart Lancaster along with the RFU have, throughout the Manu Tuilagi and Dylan Hartley sagas, maintained an extremely tough stance on on and off-field behaviour, many question marks now hang over the Sale Sharks no.10’s selection in Lancaster’s 50-man strong English Summer Training Squad.
The 27 year old has not yet been charged and the RFU has come out and said that they won’t make any decision on Cipriani until the matter has been resolved. However with very recent precedence existing regarding Manu Tuilagi and his off-field behavioural issues, it would take a brave man to bet against Cipriani being dealt the same fate should he be charged with the offences.
Cipriani has been tipped to play a strong role in England’s Rugby World Cup campaign after maturing significantly since behavioural issues dogged the early part of his professional career.