Danny Cipriani

Danny Cipriani is one of the most gifted fly-halves of his generation. Although he’s been plagued by off-the-field issues throughout his career, he’s a supremely talented player who has a reputation for flamboyant and entertaining play.

Born on 2 November 1987, Danny Cipriani began playing rugby at a young age. At school, he was spotted as a talent and was offered a sports scholarship so he could continue his development. An all-round sportsman during his youth, he also played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was invited to play as a batsman for Surrey.

After deciding to play rugby as his future, Danny Cipriani joined the Wasps Academy in 2003. By 2007, he’d progressed through the ranks and began appearing regularly for the first team. In the same year, he started in the final as Wasps won the Heineken Champions Cup. He would go on to make almost 100 appearances for the club, scoring almost 700 points in the process.

After off-the-field issues caused disharmony at Wasps, Danny Cipriani moved to the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby. Sadly, his time with the Melbourne Rebels was unsuccessful and a succession of off-the-field incidents caused him to return to the Premiership.

Since his move from Australia, Danny Cipriani has featured for several Premiership sides, including Sale, Wasps and Gloucester. In recent years, he’s also seen a return to form and he won the Player of the Year from the Rugby Players Association in 2019. For the upcoming season, he’s signed a deal with Bath.

Sadly, throughout his career, off-the-field issues have also limited Danny Cipriani’s involvement at international level. Two days before his debut, he was axed from the squad due to ‘inappropriate behaviour’ and he has struggled to regain trust since. However, he has made 16 appearances for the national side and still holds hopes of a recall.

With several years of top-flight rugby still ahead of him, it will be interesting to see how Danny Cipriani performs in the final stages of his career. Hopefully, he can leave his off-the-field troubles behind him.