Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAD FOR IT
Bears fly-half out to prove he’s a match for Danny
DANNY CIPRIANI tonight comes face to face with the fly-half pundits said he should have replaced over the summer.
The England No.10 pits his wits against Ian Madigan four months after Stuart Barnes and Jeremy Guscott advised newly-promoted Bristol to snap him up.
When Barnes tweeted that Cipriani “would be a great signing”, as Madigan is “not the controlling force Bristol will need”, the Irish star swiftly replied: “We will see (thumbs-up).”
True to his word,
Madigan steered Bristol to a stunning opening-night win over Bath ( far right), coincidentally the former club of both Barnes and
Guscott (right).
And this evening at Kingsholm, where the
Bears face unbeaten Gloucester, he has the opportunity to get the better of Cipriani. Asked if he felt he has a point to prove, Madigan – top scorer with 232 points in the Championship last term – would say only: “We have got to prove ourselves as a team.
“We’ve been promoted into the Premiership where, in previous years, the club hasn’t been able to stay. We’ve got to go out every week and prove ourselves as a team.
“It’s not about any individual, it’s all about the collective. The biggest thing we have in this team is that we’re playing for each other.” Madigan expects “serious bite” to this West Country derby, but admits he is a big fan of the way Cipriani plays.
“I really enjoyed watching him and how Wasps attacked last year, with him pulling the strings,” he said. “They were the best attacking side in the Premiership and he’s brought a similar style of play to the Gloucester team. We’re going to have to be really switched on.”
Bristol boss Pat Lam has every faith in Madigan – who has 30 Ireland caps to his name – and claims his best years are still ahead of him.
“I think we are going to see the best of him,” said Lam, who makes nine changes to the side which gave champions Saracens a fright last week.
“He is a real competitor and he’ll thrive. But the game is not all about our 10, it’s about the collective.”