Johan Ackermann urges Eddie Jones not to end Danny Cipriani's England career over assault conviction

Gloucester head coach says Jones shouldn't 'cut off his nose to spite his face' by ruling Cipriani out of England selection contention

Gloucester head coach Johan Ackermann has urged Eddie Jones not to “cut his nose off to spite his face” by ending Danny Cipriani’s England Rugby career following the fly-half’s conviction for assaulting a bouncer and resisting arrest.

Cipriani has endured a difficult start to life at Gloucester following his summer move to Kingsholm, with the 30-year-old pleading guilty last week to common assault and resisting arrest in a late-night incident in Jersey. Having been fined £2,000 by Jersey Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay a female police officer £250 compensation, Cipriani was also fined £2,000 by his club and told to carry out 10 hours of community service.

But the Rugby Football Union’s decision on Wednesday night to find him guilty of bringing the game into disrepute had triggered fears that Jones will no longer consider him for England selection, given his long list of previous misdemeanours and the tight-rope that the Australian put him on when he was recalled at the start of the summer.

Yet Ackermann has urged Jones not to drop him from his plans ahead of the Rugby World Cup, and instead sit down to speak about what really happened in Jersey.

“All you have to do is speak to him to see and understand the person,” Ackermann said. “You can't cut your nose off to spite your face by not selecting because of a mistake like that.

“He's regretful of what happened and that's not who he wants to be. If the coach (Eddie Jones) has a one-to-one chat with him, he'll understand that it's something that can happen to anybody. It's been dealt with and now you can only judge him on how he performs.

Cipriani faces an uncertain international future (PA)

“If he's the in-form player over the next few weeks there's no doubt that I would select him if I was the England coach. Judging him on last season, he was definitely the Premiership's in form fly-half. [George] Ford and [Owen] Farrell have lots of ability, but Danny brought so much to Wasps.”

Having already been through the legal process last week and Gloucester’s internal disciplinary review at the weekend, the club were surprised to learn that the RFU had brought charges against the England international. Cipriani endured a five-and-a-half hour hearing in Bristol on Wednesday night, with decision taken to find him guilty of bringing the game into disrepute - yet not sanction him any further

Danny Cipriani was found guilty of misconduct by the RFU late on Wednesday night (PA)

“We thought it would be a bit quicker, but I'm pleased,” Ackermann added. “The club has high values and we want to be a club that treats the people we encounter with respect. It was dealt with on two levels – by the club and in court. He acknowledges his mistake and it's just fair it's over and done with now.

“It was probably a bit hasty in not waiting to see what the outcome would be with us. Maybe we could have had a bit of a behind the scenes discussion about whether it was necessary. They have their reasons and I'm not here to judge. The main thing is that it's done. Danny is a highly motivated individual and wants to get back into the field.”

Cipriani was selected in Gloucester’s starting line-up for Thursday’s pre-season clash with the Dragons before his RFU disciplinary hearing, but despite Ackermann admitting that the fly-half was “a bit rusty” following his length hearing, Cipriani is now looking to focus on matters on the pitch alone.