‘Jones will give Danny a chance’
feels as though Cipriani could be his World Cup fly-half, he’s not going to publicly castigate him. He’s going to have a quiet word and say that’s unacceptable.”
But O’Driscoll says Cipriani has not done Jones any favours.
“He’s 30 years old. You’ve got to act as a senior player,” he said. “Particularly in a position like fly-half that needs control, leadership and guidance.” Jones is due to name a training party for a get-together in Bristol on September 20 and may cut Cipriani some slack if he delivers the goods for Gloucester in the opening rounds of the Premiership, in games against Northampton, Bath and Bristol. Cipriani ended a decade-long wait to start for England when he ran out at Cape Town for the final Test against the Springboks in June. His last international start before that was in November 2008. He moved from Wasps to Melbourne Rebels in 2011, then Sale and a return to Wasps before his summer move to Gloucester. In between he was convicted of drink-driving and fined £7,620, and fell under a bus on a pub crawl in Otley. His new club said in a statement: “He knows his responsibilities and is aware of the impact of this type of incident on the club. “However, Danny is a Gloucester Rugby player and will receive our full support as we focus on the exciting season ahead. Incidents of this nature are very disappointing to be associated with, and we will deal with it in a robust but balanced way based purely on the facts.” BT SPORT brings you the moments that matter this season with exclusively live action from the Heineken Champions Cup and Gallagher Premiership. For more information visit www.sport. bt.com.