Danny Cipriani facts for kids
Cipriani in pre-2008 Six Nations
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| Date of birth | 2 November 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Roehampton, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Danny Cipriani (born 2 November 1987) is a retired English professional rugby union player. He played for several top clubs like Bath, Gloucester, Sale Sharks, and Wasps in England. He also played for the Melbourne Rebels in Australia. Danny is known for playing as a fly-half or fullback. He also proudly represented the England team. He started his journey in the Wasps academy in 2003 and played for England 16 times.
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Early Rugby Days
Danny Cipriani attended Wimbledon College prep school in London. He was noticed as a great rugby player at Donhead. He was offered a scholarship to continue his rugby training at The Oratory School near Reading. Later, he moved to Whitgift School in Croydon.
Danny was a talented athlete in many sports. He played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was even offered a chance to join Reading. He also played schoolboy cricket for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. He was invited to join Surrey County Cricket Club as a batsman. He even played squash at a high level for his county. Danny first played club rugby at Rosslyn Park in Roehampton. This is where he really fell in love with the game. His coaches encouraged his exciting and creative way of playing.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Wasps
Danny Cipriani joined the Wasps Academy in 2003. He made his first team debut at just 17 years old in December 2004. He became a full-time academy player in the 2006–07 season. He played for the Wasps under-21 and A teams before becoming a regular player for the main team in 2007. He was a starter when Wasps won the 2007 Heineken Cup Final.
When Alex King left Wasps in 2007, the fly-half position became open. Danny played in this key position for two important games against Gloucester and Munster, and Wasps won both.
In May 2008, Danny had a serious ankle injury during a play-off game against Bath. This injury meant he couldn't join England's tour of New Zealand. He also missed Wasps' win in the 2007–08 Premiership final.
He made an amazing recovery and returned to play for Wasps in October 2008, much earlier than expected. His sprint coach said he would come back "stronger in the tackle, fitter and faster than before."
Danny had a good start to the 2009–10 season with Wasps. However, he got injured again in a match against Northampton Saints. This injury kept him out of England's games later that year. He returned to play after two months.
Danny played his last home match for London Wasps on 1 May 2010.
Time with Melbourne Rebels
In February 2010, Wasps announced that Danny would join the Melbourne Rebels in Australia. The Rebels' coach, Rod Macqueen, said Danny was joining for the right reasons and would fit into their team culture. There was some talk in England about whether he could still play for England if he moved to Australia.
Danny trained with some football clubs like Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur before moving to Melbourne. He also trained in Denver for "altitude training."
Danny joined the Rebels for pre-season training in late 2010. He trained as a fly-half and even co-captained the Rebels in some friendly matches. He was the first England international player to join an Australian Super Rugby club.
In the Rebels' second-ever game in the Super Rugby competition, Danny scored their first points from a penalty kick. He scored 17 points in that game, helping the Rebels win their first match.
Returning to England's Premiership
Danny signed a new three-year contract with Sale Sharks in England, starting in the 2013–14 season. He scored over 200 points for Sale, including four tries in his first four games of the LV= Cup. He helped Sale reach the LV= Cup Final and scored an amazing try against Scarlets. He was also a key player in helping Sale Sharks stay in the Aviva Premiership. In May 2014, Danny was chosen for England's squad to tour New Zealand.
In February 2016, it was announced that Danny would rejoin Wasps for the 2016–17 season.
After two seasons with Wasps, Danny joined Gloucester Rugby for the 2018–19 season. In May 2019, he was voted Player of the Year by the Rugby Players Association.
On 15 December 2020, he left Gloucester. He then signed a one-year deal with Bath in March 2021 and joined the club in May 2021.
Playing for England
Danny Cipriani captained the England under-16 team. He played fly-half for the England under-19 team in the Under-19 World Cup.
He was part of the England Saxons team that won the Churchill Cup in 2007. He almost made it into the squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup for England. He was called up to the England squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship. Many experts thought he should play full-back to help him get used to international rugby. He was set to make his first start for England at full-back against Scotland in March 2008.
However, he was removed from the squad two days before the game. He then started the match against Ireland on 15 March 2008, replacing Jonny Wilkinson at fly-half. England won 33–10, and Danny played well, converting all his goal kicks.
After a long time away from the England team, Danny was called up for the 2014 England rugby union tour of New Zealand. He came off the bench in the first and third matches. He was also named on the bench for the first game against Wales in the 2015 Six Nations. The next week, he came on during the second half against Italy and scored a try very quickly. England won that game 47–17.
Danny was not chosen for the final 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In 2016, he was also not included in the new coach Eddie Jones' first squad for the Six Nations.
International Tries for England
Danny Cipriani scored three tries for England during his international career:
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
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| 1 |  Pacific Islanders |
London, England | Twickenham Stadium | 2008 Autumn Internationals | 8 November 2008 | Win | 39 – 13 |
| 2 |  Italy |
London, England | Twickenham Stadium | 2015 Six Nations | 14 February 2015 | Win | 47 – 17 |
| 3 |  France |
Paris, France | Stade de France | 2015 Rugby World Cup Warm-Up | 22 August 2015 | Loss | 20 – 25 |
Personal Life
Danny Cipriani is of mixed race. His father is from Trinidad with some Italian family history. His mother is English. His parents separated when he was young, but he has stayed in touch with his father.
In 2013, Danny was involved in an accident with a double-decker bus in Leeds. He was out with his Sale Sharks teammates. He was taken to the hospital and kept overnight for checks. His club said he was "on his way home [with] bumps and bruises."
Danny has spoken about experiencing depression since he was 22 years old.
Images for kids
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Cipriani playing for Wasps against Bristol in 2009
