Guinness Prem - Cipriani boost for Wasps

Eurosport - Sat, 07 Mar 10:35:00 2009

Danny Cipriani is among 13 players who have committed their future to Wasps for at least one more year.

Danny Cipriani - Wasps - 0

The news comes just two weeks after the confirmation that England trio James Haskell, Riki Flutey and Tom Palmer are all joining French sides at the end of the season.

Staying put along with Cipriani are fellow internationals Phil Vickery, Tom Rees, Tim Payne, Dave Walder, Simon Shaw and Mark van Gisbergen, plus Dominic Waldouck, Danny Birkett, Tom French, John Hart and academy pair Joe Simpson and James Honeyben.

Director of rugby Ian McGeechan said: "We are delighted with the volume of players committing to the club for next season and for those to come.

"This is a great show of intent from the players and our board as we see a mixture of experienced and international calibre players combine with up-and-coming names.

"All of these play a pivotal role in our campaign both now and in the future and are core to the continuing development of the team and our rugby."

Cipriani is one of those who have signed just a one-year deal - Vickery, Rees and Shaw are for two years and prop Payne for three - but executive director Mark Rigsby commented: "We're absolutely delighted to be making this announcement.

"We hope today goes an awful long way to putting an end to the speculation."

No figures have been revealed, but flanker Haskell was reported to have been offered an annual wage of around £300,000 by Stade Francais.

That is a figure way out of the range of Guinness Premiership sides, who recently opted to freeze their player budgets at £4million for the next two seasons.

There was one report that Cipriani wanted a £350,000 salary and that Saracens - now in turmoil over a planned clear-out of their squad - were interested, but another put his demand at £200,000 and that he had been offered a £170,000 contract by Wasps.

The stand-off, axed by England after the November defeats to Australia and South Africa, made it clear in December that he wanted to stay put.

"I'd like to stay at Wasps and have my future here. I've just got to know about the players who are going to stay around as well.

"You want to make sure you have all the young players and you have all the talented players coming through together and staying on.

"Wasps is such a great club. It is a unique place with the values to win.

"There are some of the best coaches in the world here (Ian McGeechan has Wales coach Shaun Edwards assisting him) and their winning mentality rubs off on the younger players.

"Winning trophies is what it is all about. It is the best feeling."

Barring a miracle they will not be winning any trophies this season, however.

Already out of the Heineken Cup at the group stage, last year's English champions are down in eighth place in the Premiership after an eighth defeat of the campaign to lowly Worcester last weekend.

Ex-England captain Lawrence Dallaglio, now a member of the Wasps board, had been urging Cipriani to "think about more than money" and added: "This is still one of the very best places to win trophies.

"You make decisions in rugby on what you feel your priorities are. A player in the modern age has to think about more than money. they have to think about where they get their best rugby education.

"They have to consider what prepares them best for international rugby and there is no place that prepares them better than here.

"If you have the right place to thrive you can bring out the best in your talents. All the players here are in that environment and they will not necessarily find it elsewhere."

Sporting Life / Eurosport

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  1. A guy England must bring back right now

    From laboca123, on Fri 6 Mar 7:58PM
  2. wasps are­ legends................................................­ .......................................................­ .................cipriani will be class some day.

    From bren, on Fri 6 Mar 5:36PM
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