Play on RFU reprimand for Cipriani – but he escapes ban over brawl
No sanction imposed on England international Fly-half named in side for Gloucester friendly
Danny Cipriani was last night found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game but has been cleared to play with immediate effect and is free to make his debut for Gloucester in their pre-season friendly against the Dragons tonight. The player was reprimanded but no sanction was imposed following a five-hour Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing in Bristol. Cipriani contested the charge but the three-man panel upheld it.
Cipriani had already twice faced proceedings for the incident in a Jersey nightclub last week, being fined £2,000 on each occasion, first by Jersey Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to common assault and resisting arrest, and then by Gloucester, who also ordered him to do 10 hours of community service. Gloucester, who gave Cipriani their “full support” last night, and the Rugby Players’ Association were incensed that Cipriani was charged by the RFU after the two earlier proceedings
The RFU panel was chaired by barrister Gareth Graham, sitting with former referee Mike Curling and ex-harlequin lock Olly Kohn.
Graham said: “Danny Cipriani is expected to behave in line with the core values of the game, which include respect and discipline. Those core values are not empty words or slogans. By his guilty plea before the criminal court, Mr Cipriani accepts that he behaved in a way that, in the panel’s view, fell below the standard of behaviour expected of a rugby player. The panel were supported in reaching that decision by Gloucester Rugby’s own internal disciplinary hearing finding that his behaviour fell below the standard that the club expects.
“Mr Cipriani is a role model and by committing an act of common assault and by resisting arrest, the panel find his actions are prejudicial to the interests of the game. The panel took into account the sanction imposed upon Mr Cipriani by the court and the sanction imposed by Gloucester Rugby and when considering the totality of both, do not impose any further sanction.
“However, the panel do not agree that this is a ‘minor’ incident or ‘trivial’ and whilst they endorse the actions of Gloucester Rugby in fining Mr Cipriani and ordering that he complete 10 hours of work in the community, find that the decision of the RFU to bring a charge under Rule 5.12 was appropriate.”
Gloucester chief executive Stephen Vaughan said: “Whilst disappointed at the verdict, we believe that the panel’s decision not to impose any sanction endorses our approach.”
Cipriani, 30, was on a pre-season tour with his new club, who he joined in the summer from Wasps, when the incident with security staff occurred at the Drift nightclub in the Royal Yacht Hotel in St Helier.
Cipriani was upbraided by Sir Clive Woodward, the former England head coach, who wrote in the Daily Mail that Cipriani “must stop shooting himself in the foot”,. He added that Eddie Jones, who gave Cipriani his first start in 10 years in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town this summer, might feel he could not trust him in an England environment.
England have a three-day camp scheduled from Sept 24. Jones now has to weigh up whether Cipriani really can be relied on during a World Cup campaign in Japan next year that could last for eight weeks. There is little doubt that this incident and the drawn-out repercussions will not sit well with Jones, who has exacting standards.
When Cipriani earned his call-up for the tour to South Africa in June, Jones made what appeared to be little more than a throwaway jibe. “If he [Cipriani] is a good character, he could be in the team for a long time, [but] if he is a bad character, there is always a plane back from Johannesburg,” he said. That comment now assumes far greater significance.