WORSLEY: CIPRIANI WILL COME BACK STRONGER
Danny Cipriani will come back stronger than ever following his horrific ankle
injury, according to Wasps and England team-mate Joe Worsley.
The 20-year-old fly-half is expected to leave Lister Hospital in Chelsea tomorrow having had an operation on a broken ankle sustained in Wasps' Guinness
Premiership semi-final win against Bath on Sunday.
He is expected to be out of first team action for at least six months, ruling
him out of England's tour to New Zealand next month. But Worsley says
Cipriani is in good spirits.
The 30-year-old flanker said: "We are just a bit sorry for Danny and [Tom]
Voyce [who also went to hospital after dislocating his shoulder] - Danny more,
because he will be out for longer.
"A few of us guys have been to see him in hospital and there has been some text
message banter. He seems OK though, and it's his character to just get on
with things regardless.
"You can see that on the rugby pitch and he will do it again when he comes back
from his injury, I'm positive."
The Wasps man is pleased that Leicester centre Dan Hipkiss, 25, has been
called up to replace Cipriani for the two Test series against the All Blacks.
He continued: "It's a good choice to select Dan. He had a good World Cup and
was unlucky not to be selected after that. He is a really good, powerful
player."
And Worsley, who won the World Cup in 2003 but missed out on last year's final
after suffering an injury in the semi-final against France, is sure that there
is no curse of the England No10 shirt.
In the 2003 final against Australia Jonny Wilkinson knocked over the winning
drop kick in extra time to earn England their only World Cup. But Wilkinson has
been injured on-and-off for the past five years.
"I don't think there is a curse," Worsley said. "It's just one of those things
- rugby is getting more and more physical and occasionally you will get these
types of injury. Hopefully this is Cip's one bad injury out the way."
And on the competition for the England No10 shirt - now between Bath's Olly
Barkley and Sale's Charlie Hodgson - Worsley added: "Olly has had a very good
year playing for Bath, despite having the Sword of Damocles hanging over his
head for a while - he deserves his chance. Hopefully he can continue his good
form on tour.
"Charlie is another very good distributor of the ball, and a great player to
play with. The problem is that they both haven't played No10 for England for a
while.
"But I think what will happen is that whoever is in form coming into the tour
will be given the first shot. I'm sure they will both get a good shot at
showing what they can do."
Danny Cipriani will come back stronger than ever following his horrific ankle
injury, according to Wasps and England team-mate Joe Worsley.
The 20-year-old fly-half is expected to leave Lister Hospital in Chelsea tomorrow having had an operation on a broken ankle sustained in Wasps' Guinness
Premiership semi-final win against Bath on Sunday.
He is expected to be out of first team action for at least six months, ruling
him out of England's tour to New Zealand next month. But Worsley says
Cipriani is in good spirits.
The 30-year-old flanker said: "We are just a bit sorry for Danny and [Tom]
Voyce [who also went to hospital after dislocating his shoulder] - Danny more,
because he will be out for longer.
"A few of us guys have been to see him in hospital and there has been some text
message banter. He seems OK though, and it's his character to just get on
with things regardless.
"You can see that on the rugby pitch and he will do it again when he comes back
from his injury, I'm positive."
The Wasps man is pleased that Leicester centre Dan Hipkiss, 25, has been
called up to replace Cipriani for the two Test series against the All Blacks.
He continued: "It's a good choice to select Dan. He had a good World Cup and
was unlucky not to be selected after that. He is a really good, powerful
player."
And Worsley, who won the World Cup in 2003 but missed out on last year's final
after suffering an injury in the semi-final against France, is sure that there
is no curse of the England No10 shirt.
In the 2003 final against Australia Jonny Wilkinson knocked over the winning
drop kick in extra time to earn England their only World Cup. But Wilkinson has
been injured on-and-off for the past five years.
"I don't think there is a curse," Worsley said. "It's just one of those things
- rugby is getting more and more physical and occasionally you will get these
types of injury. Hopefully this is Cip's one bad injury out the way."
And on the competition for the England No10 shirt - now between Bath's Olly
Barkley and Sale's Charlie Hodgson - Worsley added: "Olly has had a very good
year playing for Bath, despite having the Sword of Damocles hanging over his
head for a while - he deserves his chance. Hopefully he can continue his good
form on tour.
"Charlie is another very good distributor of the ball, and a great player to
play with. The problem is that they both haven't played No10 for England for a
while.
"But I think what will happen is that whoever is in form coming into the tour
will be given the first shot. I'm sure they will both get a good shot at
showing what they can do."
Labels: Daniel Cipriani, Guinness Premiership, Joe Worsley
