For Cipriani 2008 contained some noticeable highs, but finished on a downwards spiral of lows culminating in England's morale-sapping Autumn internationals. The turn of a new year will see the Wasps and England fly-half set out to prove his growing number of critics wrong and show the world he has been harshly treated.
And harshly treated he has been. A remarkably speedy recovery from serious injury, in time to spearhead England's southern hemisphere examination, may in fact have hindered his progress. He faltered in some big matches in front of a critical and demanding rugby press. On top of that, the Twickenham faithful seemed to make him a scapegoat for the teams massively under par performances during those matches. But they are missing the point.
Such close scrutiny is in danger of hampering this true gem of English rugby. He was not at his best in the Autumn, and his performance level dipped, in direct correlation with the scrutiny of the media and the supporters, as the series of tests unfolded.
The first match against Australia was typical Cipriani. There was good and there was bad. Wayward passes and charged-down kicks were sandwiched by sublime runs and the rare ability (in England's case) to find space. That's what you get with Cipriani. No 21 year-old will ever look the finished article at such a level, and he possesses undoubted weak areas, but when he's good, he looks the future of English rugby for the next 10 years.
Twenty minutes into the South Africa fixture and fans were calling for Cipriani to be taken off. He had endured a torrid time and the world champions were almost out of sight. Again these fans were missing the point. The only bench alternative was Toby Flood, a fine player, but not yet a match winner at this level, and nowhere near Cipriani's class. Flood could have come on, and the scoreline would quite possibly have settled in its present state, but that was no good to England. They needed magic, a dazzling break, a sublime bit of skill, something, someone to get them back into contention; and amongst their flat-footed backline the only man willing or capable was the man currently occupying number 10 shirt.
It didn't come off for Cipriani that day, but he will have many others - as long as he is allowed the freedom to express himself and the time to learn from his mistakes. He can land his team in hot water, but that can be addressed - he can be taught how not to. What cannot be taught is that rugby brain he possesses; his magical rugby instinct, the ability to spot a break, and his willingness to try it. Cipriani is one of that rare breed, a match winner, and England are not blessed with those. If the harsh scrutiny of his game blunts this, his main asset, then England are in danger of losing potentially their most potent weapon.
It is testiment to how quickly Cipriani has bedded into not only professional rugby but the international stage, that everybody seems to have forgotten that he is a 21 year-old who suffered an ankle injury in May which sidelined him until October. That he was picked to play in the ill-fated Autumn international series is not his fault. Too early? Possibly, but through his inclusion, Martin Johnson was recognising his value to the England setup, as well as the dearth of alternatives.
Cipriani was replaced for the final match of the Autumn series by Toby Flood. Flood may have managed to avoid any high profile errors that day against the fearsome All Blacks, but he failed to get a grip on the game in the way that the shirt number on his back requires him to. In short, England looked like they had no chance, and that is what Cipriani will always give you; a chance.
Cipriani started 2009 in typical Cipriani style. Having taken a complete break from rugby in the Carribean the previous week, he returned to the starting line-up today against Harlequins. By taking the holiday he ran the risk of further criticism if the move was not payed back with a strong performance. Fortunately it was.
Not a perfect performance - two charged down kicks spring to mind (a rather too regular offence) - but a commanding one, which was highly instrumental in Wasp's victory and did enough to suggest that club and country will reap the rewards of their young fly-half in 2009.
His quick ball in the attacking third in particular will have caught the watchful eye of England manager Martin Johnson, and his expert handling in the Chris Bishay's try was nothing short of sublime. That single moment summed up everything that Danny Cipriani is about, and all he offers a team. As with Wayne Rooney in football, no matter how anonymous he may have been for 60 minutes of a game, his hands and feet can conjour something out of nothing.
Danny Cipriani is serving his rugby apprenticeship in the eyes of the whole world, at Premiership and International level. He sometimes gets it wrong, but when he gets it right he does so in such a way that few players in the world (and even fewer in and around the England set-up) are capable of. Through his endeavours to date he has shown more than enough to warrant the perseverance of his selection for club and country. Unpolished maybe, but a true gem nonetheless.
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