Danny Cipriani has been told that he must focus on making his return for England during the summer after being omitted from the squad for the up-coming Six Nations.
The in-form Sale Sharks fly-half has helped his side to a comfortable mid-table position this season after a torrid campaign last year which finished with Cipriani being hit by a bus in Leeds on a night out.
Despite a number of fine performances for his club England head coach Stuart Lancaster believes that the 26-year-old, last capped by his country in 2008, needs to focus on continuing to improve.
“I’ve said to him his goal has to be the summer tour of New Zealand. I had a long conversation with him on Wednesday, a good chat. I have watched all his games,” Lancaster said.
“He’s been a lot more consistent this season but I want to leave him at Sale to keep making progress, which he accepted and he said he felt it was the right thing to do.
“There are some areas where he’s got some ground to make up as we move towards the World Cup. He’s beginning to make up that ground, though, which is good.”
Lancaster also said that it is time for Sale’s Henry Thomas to prove his international quality with England short on tighthead props due to injury.
Thomas has only two caps to his name but will likely be making an appearance from the bench in England’s first match in the competition against France.
But with the quality of players around the 22-year-old the England coach believes Thomas will acquit himself well.
He said: “I think Henry will be alright.”
“Henry Thomas has spent a lot of time with us in camp and this is his opportunity now to prove he’s ready for international rugby.”
“When you put him alongside Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs and with the likes of Joe Launchbury and Dave Attwood behind him, and then with someone like Tom Wood on the flank as well, he’ll have a lot of experience around him.”
Image courtesy of Sale Sharks via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
