"He just steps out the way" - Austin Healey slams Danny Cipriani for ducking out of tackle

Before kick-off, BT Sport commentator and pundit Austin Healey said that it was crucial that Bath make a statement early and that their experienced players, such as Danny Cipriani, should put in an early big hit.

However, when the number 10's first opportunity to make an impact in defence came, it was 137kg Leicester winger Nemani Nadolo charging like a runaway train towards him.

The former England fly-half instead ducked out of the way, much to the fury of Healey.

"You've got to at least make an effort, at least try and drop a shot and Cipriani just doesn't," said Healey. "He just steps out the way of the tackle. That doesn't set the tone."

A keen all-round sportsman, Cipriani played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was offered youth terms by Reading. He also played schoolboy cricket for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Cipriani was invited to join Surrey County Cricket Club as a batsman^. He also played squash at county level. He was also offered a contract by MK Dons in 2010.

The 32-year-old recently revealed that his partner, Victoria, was “no longer a single mother,” teasing that they might have already tied the knot. Victoria has two children – Jade Austin, 24, and her teenage son – and has already become a grandma after Jade became a mum four years ago.

The fly-half is mixed-race; his father is Afro-Trinidadian with some Italian heritage while his mother is English. Cipriani's father, Jay, and his mother, Anne, separated soon after his birth. Although Jay returned to Trinidad, Cipriani was able to remain in contact with him.

A number of rugby players have dated celebrities, but Cipriani is in a league of his own.

The England fly-half  has previously dated high-profile models Kelly Brook and Katie Price. His love life has been a bit more low key since his most recent high-profile girlfriend TV sports presenter Kirsty Gallagher. The relationship fizzled out after six months in 2016.

Other famous romances include Lindsay Lohan, one of the Cheeky Girls and briefly the late Love Island host Caroline Flack.

The England sporting pin-up was knocked out in a bust-up with club and international team-mate Josh Lewsey in 2012. The golden boy of English rugby was left nursing a bloody nose and cut lip following the incident at Wasps’ training ground in west London – and the session was allegedly abandoned. One of our favourite Danny CIpriani facts.