Rugby ace Cipriani held ‘after assault on police officer’
Rugby’s England star charged after fight with doorman at nightclub
ENGLAND rugby star Danny Cipriani has been charged with assault following an alcohol-fuelled fight with a doorman at a nightclub in Jersey.
The 30-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday outside The Little Drift bar in St Helier.
He was charged with common assault, larceny, assault on police, resisting arrest and being disorderly on licensed premises and was being held in custody until a hearing at Jersey Magistrates’ Court this morning.
It comes just weeks after Cipriani was recalled to the England squad for the first time since 2015, and a trial could put an end to his international career and World Cup ambitions.
The fly-half was in the Channel Islands for a pre- season training event with his new club, Gloucester RFC, against Jersey Reds RFC.
The star had been on a night out with the rest of his Gloucester teammates after a joint training session with Jersey earlier in the day, and ahead of a day off yesterday, when he is thought to have had a drunken argument with a bouncer outside The Little Drift nightclub.
‘Cipriani was in a row after a big disagreement with a burly bouncer,’ a source told The Sun. ‘The player wanted to take his drink outside, but wasn’t allowed.
‘An argument broke out, and there was a scuffle as the duo spilled out into the street.
‘Cipriani, looking unsteady on his feet, was detained. Police were called straight away.’
Cipriana’s arrest comes after he last week vowed to ‘do everything I can’ to remain in the England team.
He is also new to Gloucester RFC, which he joined earlier this summer after his contract ended with Wasps club in Coventry.
Last night Gloucester RFC said: ‘We are aware of an incident involving Danny Cipriani in the early hours of Wednesday morning following an incident at a St Helier nightclub.
‘He was arrested and has since been charged by police. The club will
‘Looking unsteady on his feet’
be issuing no further comment at this time but will make a further announcement in due course.’
A States of Jersey police spokesman said last night: ‘Thirty-yearold Daniel Cipriani was charged with common assault, larceny, assault on police, resisting arrest and disorderly on licensed premises. He’s been remanded in custody until his appearance at the magistrates’ court. He was arrested in the early hours of the morning following an incident in Mulcaster Street in St Helier.’
Pictures uploaded to Gloucester RFC’s official Twitter account before the arrest show Cipriani wearing a grey T-shirt and black shorts posing with fans.
The club also posted the message: ‘ Thank you to Jersey RFC and your supporters for giving us such a warm welcome this evening and a great session on the pitch!’
It understood that the charge of assaulting a police officer will be vehemently denied by Cipriani’s lawyer.
Sources said that while trying to argue his case the player placed his hand on the officer’s shoulder. It is also understood there is comprehensive CCTV footage of the episode and that Cipriani’s lawyer is confident it will lead to the dismissal of the majority of the charges.
DANNY Cipriani’s England future was last night hanging by a thread again, as he was preparing to appear in court in Jersey today on a series of charges relating to a bust-up in the early hours of yesterday.
The 30- year- old fly- half is accused of assault on a police officer, common assault, larceny, resisting arrest and being disorderly on licensed premises, after allegedly becoming embroiled in a confrontation with a doorman in the Channel Island’s capital, St Helier.
Cipriani was enjoying a sanctioned night out with the rest of his Gloucester team-mates, after a joint training session with Jersey earlier in the day, and ahead of a squad day off yesterday.
It is understood that the incident occurred at the entrance of the Little Drift bar, which is part of the upmarket Royal Yacht Hotel.
Cipriani is thought to have attempted to go outside with a drink, only to be informed that he was not allowed to do so. An altercation occurred and the police were called. Details of what exactly happened next are not yet clear, but it understood that the charge of assaulting a police officer will be vehemently denied by Cipriani’s lawyer.
Sources have told Sportsmail that the player is claiming he was merely placing a hand on the officer’s shoulder while trying to argue his case.
Cipriani was remanded in custody after being taken away in a police car and it is believed that he was refused bail.
When he appears at Jersey Magistrates Court at 10am today, the latest indications are that he is unlikely to enter a plea, in order to be allowed to leave the island pending further investigations, before returning for any subsequent trial.
It is understood that there will be comprehensive CCTV footage of the episode and that Cipriani’s lawyer is confident it will lead to the dismissal of the majority of the charges.
He is accused of resisting arrest though sources claim that he only told the officer that there was no need to handcuff him. The prospect of a trial, just when Cipriani has brought his international career and World Cup ambitions back from the precipice, sends them teetering on the edge once more.
Club and country, and the rugby public at large, will follow the unfolding saga with a sense of dread. Eddie Jones long harboured reservations about Cipriani, but the force of his majestic form for Wasps in the last two seasons caused England’s head coach to change his mind.
He recalled the No 10 for the South Africa tour in June and was sufficiently impressed by what he saw to eventually reinstate him in that prized shirt, which he last wore a decade earlier. Cipriani delivered the decisive act in a comprehensive, consolation victory over the Springboks in Cape Town, to leave all observers convinced that he was firmly back in the hunt for a place at the World Cup next year.
But the caveat from Jones was that he would not tolerate any lapses in behaviour. After picking him in his tour party, he declared ‘there’s always a plane back from Johannesburg’ when asked how he would react to potential misconduct.
The Australian values the selfless, relentless dedication of his leading playmakers, Owen Farrell and George Ford, and the assumption must be that it won’t take much to convince him that his initial doubts about Cipriani were well-founded.
England followers and Gloucester fans alike will fear the possibility of a precocious talent going into self-destruct mode. The West Country club pounced to sign him just days after he was selected to go to South Africa — a decision by Jones which ended any chance that Cipriani would take up a lucrative offer in France, or even Japan.
Gloucester rejoiced at the recruitment of a proven attacking asset. Barely three months later, they will be wondering whether their investment is in danger of turning to dust.
His club said in a statement: ‘Gloucester Rugby are aware of an incident involving Danny Cipriani in the early hours of Wednesday morning following an incident at a St Helier nightclub.’
And later added: ‘The club will be issuing no further comment at this time but will make a further announcement in due course.’
He has been fervently driven to reclaim his lost status as a Test player. Last week at Kingsholm, he outlined his continuing motivation, saying: ‘I’ve got back in, right now I’m in there and I’ve got to do everything I can to stay there.’
Yet, instead, there is a very real threat that he has done enough to be straight out of there again. If that is the ultimate outcome, it is hard to imagine that there will be any way back.