World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward has called for the return of Sale Sharks fly-half Danny Cipriani to the England squad to help them win the World Cup in two years.
Writing in his Daily Mail column Woodward sketches out the back line that he would pick for England to be victorious on home soil in the competition.
Woodward, who makes reference to rating players as to where they would be on a podium, believes that England need to find at least two ‘gold medal winners’ to build their side around, with Cipriani’s ability catching his eye.
“At fly-half, Owen Farrell is an exceptionally talented player and George Ford has great potential, but Danny Cipriani is the only England player who has got me on the edge of my seat in the past decade,” he wrote.
“He has that X factor in abundance — pace, skills, an unpredictable edge and the ability to make things happen. He is England’s answer to (Australian back) Quade Cooper, yet he started the season in Sale’s reserves.
“Cipriani clearly got lost somewhere along the way and he needs a lot of help, but he could fit in seamlessly to that gold-medal backline. He needs a strong personality as a coach, but often the best talents do.”
Cipriani has not featured for England since he burst onto the scene in 2008 and he was more likely to appear in the gossip columns over the summer.
However 21 points on his Sale return in September have given the 25-year-old a new lease of life.
“Cipriani comes with baggage but dealing with that is your job as a coach. He needs one more chance because he is our best chance,” added Woodward.
Image courtesy of Sale Sharks via YouTube, with thanks.
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