Mike Catt sharpens his claws
Danny Cipriani has never quite had much luck when it comes to England selection, and his omission from the 2015 World Cup squad can only be looked back on in a bad light following the fallout with attack coach Mike Catt. For England fans, this was a World Cup to forget for so many reasons, but the fact that a bust up between a player and a coach was a minor fly in the ointment shows just how disastrous Stuart Lancaster’s tenure really was.
The RFU confirm Mike Catt and Danny Cipriani were involved in a training-ground incidenthttp://t.co/1fwdXF2vYE pic.twitter.com/ENmMZUPQD1
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 7, 2015
Lancaster was quick to sweep this row under the carpet, and declare that the two had a “good working relationship” even though Catt had told Cipriani he would “end his England career” hours after he had been omitted from the team. It was rumoured that other players hadn’t stepped in, and that a swift resolution had occurred shortly afterwards, but this event coupled with the Sam Burgess situation wasn’t exactly doing Lancaster any favours.
Of course this isn’t the first time Catt and Cipriani have fallen out. Josh Lewsey punched Cipriani in 2009 following a disagreement, and Catt came out to say that he understood why he had punched an “arrogant” Cipriani in their own training ground at Wasps. Poor Danny. Rugby just hasn’t been kind to him at all.