Time to give Dan Ben-efit of doubt

PHIL VICKERY claims that if Ben Stokes can play for his country again so quickly then so should Danny Cipriani.

And he has pleaded with coach Eddie Jones “not to kick the troubled star out of the international park for good”.

Former England captain and prop Vickery wants Aussie Jones to stick with Cipriani, 30, despite the latest in a long list of off-the-field bust-ups. The Gloucester fly-half was fined last week for assault and resisting arrest following a late-night drinking session with his new team-mates in Jersey, where he pushed a police officer.

It has left a huge question mark over his England future, with hard-liner Jones considering leaving out the player who had just fought his way back into

TROUBLED: Cipriani the squad and went on the summer tour to South Africa.

But having seen cricketer Stokes instantly selected for the current Test with India so soon after being cleared of causing affray, Vickery wants Jones to do the same with Cipriani in the Twickenham autumn internationals.

He said: “What Danny has done is unacceptable. He’s done wrong and has admitted it. He was found guilty and paid his fine.

“Danny has history but you can’t keep bashing him with things he did six years ago. That gremlin is never going to go away but he’s done an awful lot of good since.

“I don’t think this one incident is particularly enough for Eddie Jones to say that it is the end of Danny Cipriani’s international rugby career.

“Danny has been playing brilliantly for the last two or three seasons and Eddie has not picked him so I don’t think he will need a huge lot of excuses not to pick him again.

“I guess this incident is in the slot to knock him out of the park but I sincerely hope not.”