Cipriani fined by club after tour assault
Gloucester hope action will prevent ban by RFU Fly-half has ‘full support’ ahead of new season
Gloucester have taken pre-emptive action against fly-half Danny Cipriani by fining him £2,000 and requiring him to do 10 hours of community service.
The hope is that the Rugby Football Union disciplinary investigation into the late-night events in Jersey last week might view matters in the same light.
Cipriani, who pleaded guilty to assault and resisting arrest at a nightclub on a pre-season tour, has been one of Gloucester’s main summer signings and the club are eager for him to get on with preparing with his new team-mates for their opening Gallagher Premiership match against Northampton at Kingsholm on Saturday week.
The RFU decided on Friday to initiate its own hearing into the matter, much to the anger of the Gloucester chief executive, Stephen Vaughan, who had believed that the club would be allowed to investigate the affair first.
However, the RFU charged Cipriani under rule 5.12 on the grounds of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game. A date for the hearing will be announced today.
Any ban would not only impact Gloucester’s desire to get their season off to a smooth start but also have a bearing on Eddie Jones’s attitude to Cipriani when it comes to naming his squad for the Novem- ber internationals. Cipriani made his first start for England in a decade when helping the side stave off a series whitewash by winning the third Test, 25-10, against South Africa at Newlands in June.
“Having reviewed all the facts and spoken to both Danny and [scrum-half] Willi Heinz, who witnessed the events, we are in agreement with the magistrate in Jersey that this was a minor incident,” said a Gloucester spokesman.
“While Danny is very apologetic for his actions, we do not believe he is guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and he will continue to get our full support. Danny has now faced disciplinary action from both the courts and his club and, with the new season about to kick off, our focus is very much on preparing for Northampton.
“Fifty per cent of the fine will be paid to the club’s chosen charity, Pied Piper, a local charity raising money and awareness for sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire, and 50 per cent to Restart Rugby, the official charity of the Rugby Players’ Association.
“Danny will be required to undertake an additional 10 hours of community service. He will work with Gloucester Rugby’s community staff coaching children, and will be contributing to the fantastic voluntary work that the Gloucester Academy staff and players do with the homeless in the city.”
The RFU will also reveal today the timings for a disciplinary hearing to be convened into the red card sustained by Chris Ashton, the Sale wing, who was sent off for aiming a punch at Castres scrum-half Rory Kockott during an ill-tempered friendly in France against the Top 14 champions.
‘We do not believe he is guilty of bringing the game into disrepute’