Thompson: Eddie was right to drop Danny

ENGLAND World Cup winner Steve Thompson insists Eddie Jones was right to leave Danny Cipriani out of his World Cup squad.

The former Northampton hooker accused Cipriani of crumbling under pressure in big games, claiming he “fell apart” in Gloucester’s Premiership semifinal against Saracens last season.

The Cherry and Whites were beaten 44-19 in that game by the European and English champions at Allianz Park after Cipriani had been crowned Premiership Rugby Player of the Season and RPA Player of the Year.

“If I’m going into a World Cup I wouldn’t have Danny Cipriani as my fly-half,” the 41-year-old told 888sport.

“His big, big chance was in that semifinal because if you’re a player going into a semi-final in such a strong position as 10 you’ve got to have your best game. But he just fell apart.

“The pressure came on and he just fell apart. That was his time to stand up and say ‘look, this is why I should be picked’. And he didn’t.

“Don’t get me wrong in games he does so many things right. But at international level it’s the things you do wrong and sometimes his basics just aren’t there.

“Then he tries to do something special and that’s what teams prepare for. South Africa and New Zealand would just keep going at him until he made those mistakes and that’s 14 points.”

Thompson, who played in the front row alongside Gloucester’s Phil Vickery and Trevor Woodman when England beat Australia in the 2003 final, also did not hold back in his opinion about Willi Heinz’s selection for the squad.

Thompson said: “I think it’s a joke that they’re doing that. You’ve got the Toner one in Ireland where the bloke (South Africa-born Jean Kleyn) has qualified four days before the first warm-up game.

“It’s just a joke. You can’t just come in like it’s a club side.

“This is an international side where you should be proud to play for your country.”