Crazy to write off maverick Cipriani trained hard and did everything asked of him. He played well when he got his opportunity in the final Test but I felt like he was fighting a losing battle. Sometimes there would be little meetings with the playmakers a

THIS sporting divorce needn’t be messy. Both parties can move on and prosper. Gloucester have already proved that and Danny Cipriani can do the same.

The fly-half’s departure from the West Country club has unleashed a torrent of conspiracy theories and also damning appraisals of the 33-year- old’s career from a number of former players.

But Cipriani still has time to prove he is not finished and that the criticism is unjust.

Gloucester produced a stirring victory over Ulster on Saturday,

WASPS have tried hard to keep a lid on the Alfie Barbeary hype but they are losing the battle after his latest dazzling performance, against Montpellier on Friday. He is only 20 and has suitably grand ambitions. ‘I daren’t tell you what some of his goals are,’ joked his head coach Lee Blackett. Barbeary is nominally a hooker but is excelling as a try-scorer in the back row and keeps asking to play centre. He is emerging as the epitome of a modern, multi-purpose ‘hybrid’, so it is no wonder that Eddie Jones has been keeping an eye on him. England are awash with back row and hooker options but this prodigy’s Test breakthrough is

just a matter of time. with Lloyd Evans conducting the show superbly at No 10 to demonstrate he can thrive with the new responsibility. But that doesn’t mean Gloucester are better off without Cipriani. Not many of their fans will have toasted last week’s shock news. There has been a focus on his perceived inability to fit into the culture of a team, but how about all that he brings to the table? Only 18 months ago, Cipriani was named the RPA Player of the Year — meaning he won the award voted for by his peers. That flies in the face of the notion that he is a disruptive influence.

In 2018-19, his creative class helped Gloucester finish third in the Premiership. The year before they had finished seventh.

All the sorcerer’s tricks he produced weren’t just made-forTV acts of frivolity; they turned matches and won them. Similarly, when he returned to Wasps for a second stint, Dai Young’s side finished top of the league. It was no coincidence.

Many in the game made up their minds about Cipriani years ago — when his off-field activities drew attention — and he has been unable to shake off the stigma.

It was interesting to note Mike Brown’s comments in his Mail on Sunday column about England’s tour of South Africa in 2018.

‘I was pretty disappointed at how he was treated,’ he said of Cipriani. ‘He kept his head down, room for those in the flawed genius category.

So when Cipriani has taken stock, the many people who enjoy and value what he does will hope he plays on. Make no mistake, there are plenty of clubs who would be happy to have him.