No mutiny but England admits Cipriani bust-up
Print Edition
THE crisis enveloping England’s rugby team deepened yesterday as it admitted there had been a “robust conversation” between skills coach Mike Catt and flyhalf Danny Cipriani before the tournament.
Rugby chiefs refuted completely a report that the bust-up — which came shortly after Cipriani had been told he would not be in the squad — on the training ground had almost sparked a “mutiny” among the rest of the players.
England chiefs also denied that coach Stuart Lancaster, who is likely to lose his job after the host nation’s disastrous exit at the pool stage, told the squad to close ranks and not talk about the incident.
“Danny and Mike were involved in a robust conversation on the training pitch following a misunderstanding around a training drill instruction,” said a Rugby Football Union spokesman. “Both shook hands afterwards and the incident played no bearing on selection.”
It is the latest revelation to throw light on divisions within the squad.
England made an ignominious exit from the tournament last weekend, becoming the first host to fail to reach the quarterfinals following defeats at Twickenham by Wales and Australia.
Meanwhile, English rugby’s search for meaningful answers following the team’s early exit may never get off the ground as reports emerge that players are reluctant to cooperate against an increasingly febrile backdrop of recriminations.
Anger and disappointment remain palpable amid calls for a review into the debacle. Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Ian Ritchie will lead the probe.
“It (the review) needs to be comprehensive and we need to look at what we need to do to do better,” Ritchie said.
A similar process following England’s 2011 quarterfinal defeat in New Zealand pointed the finger at a number of senior players, calling their commitment into question. That report was leaked to the media, creating a legacy of mistrust and resentment which endures to this day.
British media yesterday said players were wary of providing even anonymous feedback this time.
Both the Times and Telegraph reported players felt betrayed four years ago, and that some members of Lancaster’s squad could decline to participate.
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