Saturday 3 May 2014

Stuart Lancaster rescued English rugby and now he can seal another ...

By

Sam Peters



Published:


23:07, 3 May 2014




|
Updated:


23:11, 3 May 2014



Stuart Lancaster, the man responsible for salvaging English rugby from the wreckage of the Martin Johnson era, is facing the biggest selection dilemma of his tenure as he considers recalling Danny Cipriani. 


The England head coach will name his initial 26-man squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour in 11 days’ time and, potentially shorn of incumbent fly-halves Owen Farrell and George Ford due to a scheduling clash between the Aviva Premiership final and first Test in Auckland, reformed rebel Cipriani is pushing hard for a place on the plane.


It is five years since Cipriani, 26, won the last of his seven caps for England before testing the patience of Johnson’s coaching regime once too often and finding himself an international outcast.


Weighing up: England coach Stuart Lancaster is considering a recall for Danny Cipriani


Weighing up: England coach Stuart Lancaster is considering a recall for Danny Cipriani



If the cap fits: Danny Cipriani made his debut against Ireland in 2008 but has not played for his country in six years


If the cap fits: Danny Cipriani made his debut against Ireland in 2008 but has not played for his country in six years



But after a lengthy spell of rehabilitation — some of it under the guidance of Jonny Wilkinson’s former mind guru, Steve Black — Cipriani has excelled for Sale Sharks this season and has surely done enough to be given a chance of redemption ahead of the likes of Stephen Myler and Freddie Burns.


‘I spoke to Danny just before the Six Nations and I’ll be speaking to him again,’ said Lancaster. ‘He needs to keep improving his game and maintain the level of consistency in his game, but he’s definitely in the mix.


‘He’s obviously been helped by the fact that Sale have played exceptionally well and Steve Black has clearly made a difference with him. I’m aware of the work Steve did with Jonny and I think Danny’s benefiting from that relationship.


‘Ultimately, the responsibility for how many caps you get rests with the player.


Thumbs up: Steve Diamond believes Danny Cipriani (pictured) should go on England


Thumbs up: Steve Diamond believes Danny Cipriani (pictured) should go on England’s tour to New Zealand



‘If you are playing and training consistently well, you are a good team player and you want to add value not just to yourself but to others around you in a constructive way then, clearly, you should be capped for England and keep on getting capped. That’s the same for everyone. The players all understand that.’


Whoever Lancaster selects next Thursday, he will do so from a position of strength far removed from the scepticism which greeted his appointment two-and-a-half years ago.


In December 2011, the former PE teacher from Cumbria — a relative unknown even in rugby circles — was the RFU’s surprise choice to take charge of the England team, initially on an interim basis, after Johnson’s reign reached its nadir with a leaked report into the  scandal-hit World Cup campaign and his subsequent resignation.


Today, 27 games into his tenure and with victories over every rugby playing nation bar South Africa under his belt, Lancaster is the man other English sports, most notably cricket, are looking to for answers after resurrecting the national team’s playing fortunes and their wider reputation.


Food for thought: England head coach Stuart Lancaster has decisions to make at 10 for their summer tour


Food for thought: England head coach Stuart Lancaster has decisions to make at 10 for their summer tour


‘It wasn’t just the England team who were in a dark place when I took over, but the RFU as an organisation were struggling,’ Lancaster told The Mail on Sunday. 


‘When I was appointed, people were asking: “Who is this guy who’s become the England head coach?” But people doubting me wasn’t a concern. Ultimately, I believed in the direction I was taking the team from the beginning.’


That direction, built on the foundations of a unified coaching team, a re-engaged public and a renewed sense of national identity, has been a steady upward curve since his appointment was made permanent following his first Six Nations campaign in charge. Today, doubting voices are hard to find.


Later this month, Lancaster will lead his squad on a three-Test tour of New Zealand imbued with the belief that England are capable of claiming the world champions’ scalp. Defeat would be a hammer blow for England’s World Cup hopes but, typically, Lancaster refuses to countenance what could go wrong.


On the ball: Cipriani has scored 143 points in 18 games for Sale this season, with the club sixth in the table


On the ball: Cipriani has scored 143 points in 18 games for Sale this season, with the club sixth in the table


‘I don’t lie awake at night worrying about the worst-case scenario,’ he said. ‘What makes a team successful is belief and whatever game we’ve played in we have had belief.


‘We’ve played New Zealand, beaten them once over here and been very competitive in the second time and put ourselves in a position to win it. You can’t doubt the quality of the opposition but the great thing about this England side is that they have belief.’


It all feels very different to the last time England visited New Zealand, when Johnson’s squad concocted one of the most protracted public relations disasters in rugby history by combining ordinary displays on the field with extraordinary behaviour off it. So when Lancaster announces his tour squad — potentially including several players who have been in hot water before — will he be laying down the law as the result of what’s gone before?


‘Of course I’ll be reinforcing the point that we have some work to do to recover our reputation in New Zealand,’ he said.


Support: Sale


Support: Sale’s director of rugby Steve Diamond believes Cipriani’s has been integral to their good season


‘I like to think we’ll be good ambassadors for England. We want to do our bit to build relationships and we’ll try to make ourselves as open and accessible as possible.


‘There are lessons to be learned from 2008 and 2011, and we don’t want a repeat of what happened, the players understand that.’


Lancaster was speaking at an event to promote the Ride of the Lions, which will see a group of former Lions, wounded military veterans and rugby fans cycle nearly 1,000 kilometres in eight days to raise money for two charities, Walking with the Wounded and the Lions Charitable Trust.


The ride will be led by former England flanker Peter Winterbottom, a man Lancaster lists as his most admired player. Winterbottom, now 54, says he has been impressed by what he has seen of Lancaster’s England.


First choice: Owen Farrell is England


First choice: Owen Farrell is England’s current fly-half but he will miss the start of their tour to New Zealand


‘Stuart has created an environment in which individual players can become world-class players,’ said Winterbottom.


Two such players are Harlequins’ Mike Brown and Danny Care. Both have put significant disciplinary problems behind them and flourished under Lancaster’s firm but fair regime and his increasingly tight-knit management team.


Now England rugby fans will be waiting to see whether Lancaster is about to repeat the trick with Cipriani.









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mightykiwi,


New York, United States,


1 hour ago


Danny Cipriani – oh yeah, world rugby is shaking……..



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Article source: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/other-sports/rugby-union/rugby-union-new-titans-recruit-poised-for-home-debut-1-6511398


Stuart Lancaster rescued English rugby and now he can seal another ...
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