Cipriani risks Wasps axe

DANNY CIPRIANI and James Haskell are still to sign new deals at Wasps, with boss Dai Young admitting there will have to be ‘casualties’ at the club. Both contracts run out in May and Wasps have signed All Black fly-half Lima Sopoaga and Hurricanes flanker Brad Shields in recent months. But Young said that the pair are not necessarily replacements for Cipriani and Haskell. ‘It’s not a way of saying Danny is moving on but we’re not going to get caught sitting on our hands either,’ he said. ‘You have to come to an agreement. That’s a two-way street. A big part of my job is trying to retain the squad when players come out of contract.’ Haskell will miss the first two games of England’s Six Nations campaign after being sent off and banned following a dangerous tackle in the Champions Cup. And the national side was dealt a further blow yesterday with the news that Henry Slade has not travelled to Portugal for England’s training camp after suffering an injury. The Exeter Chiefs centre, 24, picked up a shoulder knock on Saturday against Glasgow so will remain at the club for assessment. However, Jonathan Joseph remains the favourite to wear the No 13 shirt as England attempt to retain their title. Meanwhile, Ospreys have sacked head coach Steve Tandy after a string of poor results.