Danny Cipriani (/sɪpriˈɑːni/; born 2 November 1987) is a retired English professional rugby union player.

Spotted as a rugby talent at Donhead, he was offered a full scholarship and was then advised to move to the Junior House of The Oratory School near Reading in order for him to continue his development.

A keen all-round sportsman, Cipriani played junior football for Queens Park Rangers and was offered youth terms by Reading.

[4] Cipriani joined Wasps Academy in 2003,[5] and made his debut against Bristol aged 17 in December 2004 in the Powergen Cup.

[7] On 6 October 2008, Cipriani was involved in a bust-up with club and international teammate Josh Lewsey in a training ground fight.

[8] Cipriani was left nursing a bloody nose and cut lip following the incident at Wasps' training ground.

[15] His sprint coach Margot Wells has been quoted as saying that due to Cipriani's superb attitude and hard work, he will return 'stronger in the tackle, fitter and faster than before'.

Much was also made of his high-profile relationship with model Kelly Brook and concerns were raised by critics about whether he was fully committed to rugby.

[18] Cipriani played his last home match for London Wasps on 1 May 2010 against Cardiff Blues in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final.

[23] During September 2010 Cipriani trained with the Milton Keynes Dons and was reportedly offered the chance to sign with them if he did not enjoy his first season in Melbourne.

[24][25] Despite issues with his Australian work visa, Cipriani joined the Rebels for pre-season training in late 2010.

After the first match of the season, a loss to the NSW Waratahs, he was accused of taking a bottle of vodka from behind a Melbourne bar.

[31] In May he and teammate Richard Kingi were stood down for the game against the Queensland Reds, after failing to meet standards agreed by the Rebel players' group.

He played fly-half for the England under-19 side in the Under-19 World Cup but was unable to complete the tournament due to a head injury.

[citation needed] Cipriani was part of the Saxons' side that won the Churchill Cup at Twickenham in 2007.

Many experts were calling for Cipriani to be picked at full-back to ease him into the international arena, a position he played successfully with Wasps upon breaking into the first team.

[45] However, two days before Cipriani was to make his full England debut, he was axed from the squad due to "inappropriate behaviour".

[citation needed] After a long period of time in international wilderness, Cipriani was called up to the 2014 England rugby union tour of New Zealand, coming off the bench in the 1st and 3rd tests.

[1] In 2013, Cipriani was hospitalised after being hit by a double-decker bus in Leeds[56] on an end-of-season night out with his Sale Sharks team-mates doing a pub crawl known as the Otley Run.

[57] Cipriani was concussed and kept in hospital overnight to undergo x-rays, his club said, adding he was "on his way home [with] bumps and bruises.

"[58] In 2014, Cipriani posed shirtless for a PETA "Ink Not Mink" advert, showing off his tattoos on behalf of the anti-fur campaign.