More than just a rugby match: Danny Cipriani, Gloucester and #BeKind

Rugby was eclipsed by a far bigger issue as Gloucester hosted Sale Sharks in a match that was focused on raising awareness and funds for mental health support.

Sale may have narrowly beaten their hosts, but Gloucester boss Johan Ackermann was as keen to use his post-match interview to spread the message of loving one's neighbour as he was to diagnose where it went wrong for his side.

The game raised money for the Samaritans and was inspired by Gloucester fly-half Danny Cipriani's emotional tribute to former girlfriend Caroline Flack a week earlier.

For the evening, Gloucester players' names on the back of their shirts were replaced by the hashtag "BeKind".

My piece for The Times reflects on a match with a difference as well as Sale's heady ascent up the Premiership table.

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🍒 17 - 23 🦈 | #GLOvSAL #BeKind https://t.co/4A60C67ySF

— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) February 28, 2020

Eddie Jones should take a closer look at Billy Twelvetrees, says Johan Ackermann

Danny Cipriani may be stealing the headlines at Gloucester, but it is the main outside him who is the “unsung hero” of the Cherry and Whites’ strong start to the campaign.

Billy Twelvetrees has been Gloucester’s lynch-pin in the Premiership so far, according to boss Johan Ackermann.

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Now Gloucester head coach Ackermann is urging England supremo Eddie Jones to take a closer look at Twelvetrees ahead of the World Cup.

Twelvetrees has been slotting his kicks so far this term, as well as being the level-headed foil to Cipriani’s audacious plays.

Twelvetrees, who picked up the last of his 22 caps in 2015, impressed again on Friday in Gloucester’s five-try to win over Bristol, with Jones looking on.

Under-recognised?

“Billy is the side’s unsung hero at the moment,” Ackermann told me. “He is consistently one of our senior guys who works extremely hard during the week.

“He is very calm, shows good leadership and is extremely fit. His work-rate is tremendous on the field and I don’t always think he gets that recognition.

“He organises a lot in defence and works a lot off the ball. He is really working well with Danny on his inside and he’s really doing well for us at this stage.

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“He’s always so professional. He’s always one of the guys who really looks after himself and always one of the last to walk out of the club. It’s very good to have him in our system.”

England boss Jones opted for Owen Farrell, Henry Slade, Piers Francis and Alex Lozowski as his potential inside centres in his August pre-season camp, but Ackermann ardently believes Twelvetrees is worth another look.

Decoy

Twelvetrees, 29, is filling in at the first-receiver role at times for Gloucester, with Cipriani on occasion being used as a decoy.

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“It’s a difficult one. Obviously, I’ll always lean towards the guys that I coach and I do believe Billy’s got the talent and the ability,” says Ackermann.

“But as I’ve said with other players, Eddie has worked with a squad now for two or three years and he’s going to believe in certain guys. For there to be change, only Eddie can do it.

“We’re happy with the way Billy has performed and developed his game in the last year and hopefully it will keep on going.”

Danny Cipriani: England boss Stuart Lancaster explains fly-half decision ahead of Six Nations

Few can begrudge Danny Cipriani his recall to the England squad for the 6 Nations. Here, England head coach Stuart Lancaster explains his reasons for picking the Sale fly-half:

listen to ‘Lancaster on Cipriani recall’ on audioBoom

Danny Cipriani - A Rebel who's found his cause?

Danny Cipriani tells me why he believes English players should be encouraged to play in the southern hemipshere if they have international ambitions, not prohibited from doing so


Danny Cipriani won't be leaving the Melbourne Rebels anytime soon – and hopes to extend his stay in the southern hemisphere until at least 2013.

The gifted fly-half was linked to a possible move to Bath Rugby in May, when the English club's management revealed they had received an approach from Cipriani's representatives about a return to England.

But Cipriani, who had a chequered debut season with the Rebels, insists it was always his plan to remain in Australia.

The 23-year-old will run out at The Rec tomorrow night when the Super 15 side take on Bath in what will be the first of three pre-season friendlies for the English side.

And Cipriani, who has seven international caps to his name, says he isn't heaping pressure on himself as he prepares to play in front of an English crowd for the first time in a year-and-a-half.

"I can't live my life always feeling that I've got a point to prove," he told the Chronicle.

"At the minute, I'm very secure and happy in the place where I am.

"I've got some good memories of playing games in Bath. The Rec used to be quite a good stomping ground for Wasps when I was with them.

"But this is a new chapter of my life now and I'm thoroughly enjoying being with the Melbourne Rebels."

Cipriani dismissed out of hand the speculation that he had been interested in a move to Bath.

"It was always my intention to do my second year in Melbourne and there was never any doubt," he explained.

"That was just a media spin you guys like to put on things. The second year was always going to be the situation."

The mercurial outside half went further, indicating that he could well seek a third season in Australia.

"Next year, if the Rebels don't want to kick me out, then hopefully I'll stay for another year. We'll see what happens," said Cipriani.

"I'll take each moment as it comes and move forward. At the moment I'm enjoying Super 15 and loving the league."

Following next month's World Cup, England head coach Martin Johnson has said he will only select overseas- based players in "exceptional circumstances".

But Cipriani, who admits to already having one eye on the 2015 World Cup, believes he could yet force his way into England contention while playing in Australia.

Moreover, he reckons that playing against the Super 15s superstars every week is an ideal preparation for international rugby.

"England's selection rules may change," he said. "I may be able to stay out there and get the opportunity to play for England.

"I was speaking to the England management earlier in the season, and for me the Super 15 is the best league in the world.

"Before, when I used to play the All Blacks, South Africa and Australia, because you don't play against them week in week out, it was like 'Jeez, it's Schalk Burger, Dan Carter, Matt Giteau'.

"But if you are in the Super 15 and you're playing against them every week, some of them become friends and it becomes a regular thing.

"There isn't the same [daunting] effect when you play them, so I think it's been a good experience."

Cipriani had a rocky ride during his first year in Australia, with off-field disciplinary issues prompting the Rebels management to leave him behind during the South Africa leg of the competition.

But he believes he has learnt his lesson and emerged a maturer individual.

"I had a few mishaps early on," he admitted. "But for me, last year was a big turnaround.

"For the last part of the season I had to change a few things and focus, and I've done that, so hopefully I will reap the benefits next season."

All Black Donald fits the bill for Bath Rugby chairman Craig

Bath Rugby have the signature of their new fly half and sources suggest it's All Black Stephen Donald, although there is no confirmation from the club. This column, taken from today's Bath Chronicle, explains why Donald and not Danny Cipriani fits chairman Bruce Craig's vision for the club.

A lot was made of what a physically intimidating specimen Butch James was when he played in the Premiership.

But it seems that the man who is poised to replace the sturdy South African in the number ten shirt at The Rec could be even more, well, butch.

While there is no official word from Bath Rugby, it seems that All Black Stephen Donald, pictured, is likely to be the man who, barring any last-minute hitches, will be pulling the strings at fly-half next season.

As mentioned in last week’s Chronicle, sources indicate that Donald is the man likely to become Bath’s stand-off for the 2011-12 campaign and beyond.

Donald would be a good fit at Bath, not only because of his 6ft 3in frame but because of his reputation as a selfless, hard-working team player.

In an interview with the Chronicle in April, Bath chairman Bruce Craig articulated a vision for the sort of culture he wanted to foster.

In it, he emphasised how important he regarded the chemistry that pervaded a rugby club.

“If you look at the likes of Toulouse, Munster, Leinster and Perpignan, there is a passion, fervour and a willingness on the pitch to almost die for the shirt,” he said.

“You can’t bring in journeymen to do that. That’s one of the things we’re working on. The chemistry is very important.”

Across the Super 15 and in the All Blacks camp, Donald commands respect as a committed, grafting figure – an axis around which the rest of a side can revolve.

He may not bring the heart-in-mouth antics of a Quade Cooper and may have been forced to play understudy to Dan Carter for the All Blacks.

However, as a wise distributor and a reliable place-kicker he would be a wise investment, particularly if he arrives at Bath on a long-term contract.

Sources suggest that Donald would remain at The Rec on a deal until 2014. That would certainly remove him from the ‘journeyman’ category and, at 27 years of age, Bath could quite reasonably expect to get some of the best years of his career out of him.

A fortnight ago, I revealed Danny Cipriani’s representatives had approached Bath.

But under Craig’s vision, Donald is a far better fit.

Photo by Steve Haag/Back Page Sport

Cipriani seeks return to Premiership rugby

It's looked likely for some time, and today it looks close to a dead cert: Danny Cipriani will be leaving the Melbourne Rebels soon.
A story I have broken today reveals that representatives of the unpredictable fly-half have contacted Bath Rugby with a view to returning to the English Premiership. Bath aren't particularly interested, stressing that Cipriani "is not top of their list", but it's clear that the gifted but troubled stand-off is looking for an exit from Australia, less than halfway through his two-year deal.
The thing is, with all his off-field shenanigans, who will touch him? Wasps director Lawrence Dallaglio has hinted that the London side would consider taking him back, but it would be a gamble. As Cipriani has proved in Melbourne, he can rub team-mates up the wrong way, and Wasps - who are in as fragile a state as they have ever been in the professional era - can't afford any more boat-rocking.
So, who is top of the list at Bath? Dan Carter was clearly the ultimate target, as the All Black admitted today. And with Morne Steyn ruling himself out, and with Berrick Barnes and Quade Cooper signing extended deals with the Australian Rugby Union, many of the prize inside backs of the modern game are now unavailable. But Carter's cover in the Kiwi squad, Stephen Donald, still appears to be undecided about his post-World Cup future. And given that all the signals are that Bath are after a player who will be involved in the RWC, Donald would appear to be very much in the mix.