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Andrew Matthews
england 2015

England set to omit in-form Cipriani from Rugby World Cup squad -- reports

George Ford and Owen Farrell are Lancaster’s immovable 10s.

ENGLAND HEAD COACH Stuart Lancaster will exclude Danny Cipriani when he unveils his 31-man Rugby World Cup squad, according to reports in England today.

The 27-year-old out-half has arguably been England’s form player during the World Cup warm-up fixtures, notably when his late performance in Paris helped England take some pride from an otherwise humbling defeat.

Today however, many outlets have reported that he has not done enough in Lancaster’s eyes to merit inclusion.

The England head coach has two clear leading options for the number 10 jersey in George Ford and Owen Farrell, while centre option Henry Slade has also experience of playing out-half with Exeter Chiefs.

Cipriani’s cheerleaders would count him as additional cover at fullback, but it is expected Lancaster will welcome Mike Brown back after his concussion struggles with Saracens’ Alex Goode challenging.

The Sale Sharks playmaker certainly appeared to be in reflective mood this morning when posting thanks to his supporters on Facebook.

“Can’t tell you how much the support means to me. We all go through our journey in life and learn lessons. I know I’ve made mistakes some criticised rightly or wrongly. Just a quick thanx (sic) to all the nice messages. Really appreciate it.”

However, he did soon follow up to insist that the make-up of the squad was still unknown.

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