Players / My World

Danny Cipriani

/ London Wasps and England

Born in Roehampton, London, Danny became the youngest player to play in a senior rugby match when he made his Wasps debut aged 17.  Brian Ashton once described him as the finest prospect he’d ever seen and with ball-in-hand, Cips captures a similar romantic imagination to his hero, Christian Cullen…

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I tend not to have any fears because if you start to introduce negativity into your mindset then you just get bogged down but my biggest worry is losing a final, I don’t take to losing that well.

 

I’d love to step into Christian Cullen’s shoes. He’s always been my idol and he’s the one player who I always found really exciting to watch - great with ball in hand always beating his man and causing the defence all sorts of problems – if I had to be one player from the history of rugby, it would be him.

 

I don’t like rugby when the pitch is all boggy and all you feel underfoot is the sludging of your boots in the mud. That’s definitely the worst part about rugby.

 

The best thing about being a fly half is when I get the ball in my hands.

 

My idea of rugby purgatory would be 15 Lesley Vainikolo’s staring right opposite me, ready to knock you out

 

No I’ve never lied to pursue my career…

 

If wasn’t playing rugby my mum would like to think I was a doctor but I’d probably be another sportsman, maybe football or cricket…

 

My worst trait is the fact that I’m quite forgetful. I’m always losing a lot of things, especially my clothes.

 

My favourite fictional character has to be Superman

 

The most rewarding thing about rugby is the camaraderie. There’s 22 of you preparing, playing the game, coming through together, and it’s extremely special if you’re winning competitions, getting to finals and collecting trophies.

 

I’d least like to meet Corne Krige down a dark alley. I remember him being quite a vicious customer.

 

My greatest achievement is being able to pursue something that I love doing and doing it as a profession.