CIPRIANI EYES ENGLAND SLOT

DANNY CIPRIANI is back where it all began for him at Wasps, but this time he doesn’t expect an easy ride. The prodigal son has returned, ready to work hard for titles and Test recognition. It was all so different the first time around. The rookie playmaker surged to prominence as one of the most dynamic, creative backs to emerge in English rugby for a generation, with Premiership success and international honours soon coming along as if by birthright. After signing from Sale, Cipriani, 28, has been getting used to new surroundings in Coventry, meaning that the homecoming has taken him into unfamiliar territory. Now looking forward to a first league appearance at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday, against Exeter, Cipriani reflected on his first stint at Wasps. ‘It did feel easy back then,’ he said. ‘I felt very fortunate to start my career here and win a couple of trophies straight away. I felt like it was always going to be like that but it didn’t pan out that way. I’ve been in a team for the last four years which helped me learn a lot about the game and fall back in love with rugby again. I will put forward as much of my experience as I can and hopefully we can build towards that legend of the Wasps of the past.’ Cipriani rejected a lucrative contract in France to stay in this country, partly due to his desire for fulfilment as a Test player. A modest tally of 14 caps does not reflect his supreme attacking credentials and the strides he made in defence at Sale. There was no place for him in Eddie Jones’ training squad of 45 who gathered earlier this month, but his international ambitions remain undiminished. ‘Any English player wants to play for England, but if we win trophies with this club then the just deserts will come from that,’ he added. There has been feedback from Jones about what he must do to find a way back into the England squad and he will keep striving and hoping, in the knowledge that he is leaving no stone unturned. ‘I can sleep happily at night knowing that I am doing all I can for that,’ he said.