There’s no emotion... I came back to Wasps to do a job
NEW, COMPOSED CIPRIANI IS FOCUSED ON FINAL GLORY
THIS time he’ll be playing, rather than watching in a drugged- up haze while resting a shattered ankle. This time, Danny Cipriani will hope to carry the Premiership trophy around Twickenham, alongside his Wasps team-mates, without the use of crutches.
The prodigal son’s return has followed the fantasy script. Today the 29-year-old fly-half will be back at the national stadium with the club that propelled him to prominence, on the cusp of another title triumph. His global career path has brought him full circle and now he has an opportunity to be part of another glorious, victorious sporting climax.
That much wasn’t possible nine years ago when Wasps had to claim their prize without the rookie sensation who had done more than most to make it possible. That legendary team of Lawrence Dallaglio, Josh Lewsey, Alex King and Co beat Leicester in the 2008 final, while Cipriani was reduced to the role of spectator, following the horrific semi-final injury which ruled him out for five months.
‘The final was the first time I was allowed out of hospital,’ he said this week, amid preparations in Coventry for today’s showdown with Exeter. ‘My ankle was throbbing throughout the whole 80 minutes and I was watching the game pain-killered off my head!
‘ I’d had a pretty decent season and done everything I could to make sure we got there. Lol (Dallaglio) and Josh and that lot made sure I came on the pitch and they were crutching me round. They brought me the trophy and there is a picture of me and my mate Dom Waldouck with it. It was a nice day.
‘Before that, we had won the Heineken Cup ( in 2007) so I just thought every year was going to be like that. But it’s been a long time since then. Now, ninei years later, I’ve got an opportunity to be in the final.’
In the intervening period, between his first stint at Wasps and his second, Cipriani sampled Super Rugby with the Melbourne Rebels, before resuming his quest for England recognition at Sale Sharks. There have been countless peaksk and dt troughsh alongl th the way, but he is convinced all the experiences have added wisdom to his game. ‘I have a better brain for it now,’ he said.
So what brought him back? ‘The draw of returning to Wasps was huge,’ he said. ‘It’s dear to my heart. It’s my first club. I’d kind of agreed to join another club, then I met Dai (Young, Wasps director of rugby) and he said he wanted me to come in and lead a team. He gave me some good words, I looked at the squad and felt I had a better chance of reaching the top four and rugby finals. That was what I wanted.
‘I’ve come back here with no emotion, to do a job and I’ve done it quietly. I’ve come in and tried to lead these boys. This squad deserve to win a trophy.
‘ Dai has turned the club around. From almost getting relegated in 2012 to moving it to the top of the Premiership. Now the opportunity is there for me to help facilitate that. That’s everything I wanted.’
Matchdays this season have been a world away from what Cipriani was used to in his first spell at Wasps. The cramped confines of Adams Park, at the end of an industrial estate in High Wycombe, have been replaced by the grandeur of the Ricoh Arena and a growing following in the Midlands.
‘Our owner, Derek Richardson, has brought a vision and created a culture and a fanbase,’ said Cipriani. ‘For the last couple of games, we’ve had 30-odd thousand, we finished top of the league and we’ve attracted names like George Smith, ( Charles) Piutau, Kurtley (Beale) and Willie (Le Roux), really glamourising the Premiership. But we’re still in
a scruffy gym and training on a scruffy pitch.’
He remains a box- office match-winner in a back line full of galacticos on show today — although Beale will be missing with a hamstring injury — but, as he did at Sale, he has performed consistently this season. He has earned the acclaim of public and pundits, but not the acceptance of the man whose view matters most.
Eddie Jones can find no place for him in the England squad, even when depleted by Lions call-ups. In Cipriani’s mind, that particular flame has not yet been extinguished. ‘Selection hasn’t gone my way over the last couple of years, so coming back here and winning silverware is the best thing I can do,’ he said.
‘I’ve given it my best shot. If it happens, it happens. You’ve just got to have faith in playing well, hopefully get a Premiership medal and have a nice off- season. I’m obviously always going to say that I’d love to still play for England. I’ll take my rugby boots with me on holiday, just in case!’
The good news for Wasps is that he will have his rugby boots on today. This time, Cipriani is fit and ready to help his first club get back to where they once belonged.