Cips is outstanding, and still likely to be playing top-flight rugby by the next WC (he'll be 32, I think).mol2 wrote:Personally I just don't buy into the Cipriani hype.
I would liken him to Burns but without age on his side.
At this stage in the world cup cycle Eddie Jones has to be building for the next world cup and as such there has to be an overwhelming reason to pick someone who is unlikely to be at their best then.
Is Cipriani so far ahead of Farrell, Ford or Burns?
The only clear cut thing is that of the 4 of them Cipriani is the only one to have been found wanting at international level.
And as for being found wanting, even if you believe that to be true you'd also have to admit that he has also been found far from wanting at international level. He made a fools of Lancaster in the WC warm-ups, for example. Having already shone at FH, Lancaster said that he'd only be considered as a FB (inexplicably). Cips then came off the bench at FB and turned the France game on its head.
He's way ahead of Burns. He's the form English FH (again), and - as ever - the main thing against him appears to be off-field rather than performance-based.
