England v South Africa
Cipriani determined to bounce back
PA Sport
November 19, 2008
Danny Cipriani of England walks off the pitch injured during the match between England and Australia at Twickenham in London, England on November 15, 2008.
Danny Cipriani is determined to learn from his disappointing performance against Australia © Getty Images
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Danny Cipriani is determined to bounce back from a disappointing fortnight and further his quest to become the best fly-half in world rugby, by leading England to victory over South Africa.

The ambitious 21-year-old, who made a stunning full debut against Ireland in March, was frustrated by his performances in the win against the Pacific Islanders and last weekend's defeat to Australia.

England failed to implement their attacking gameplan against the Wallabies, and Cipriani was served a stark lesson by opposite number Matt Giteau about what it takes to be world class. Despite all the hype and expectation, Cipriani knows he is not the finished article after just three Test starts - but is intent on proving against the world champions on Saturday that he is a quick learner.

"I expect a lot from myself, but that is only natural if you want to get to the top," said Cipriani, who marked his performance against the Islanders at just five out of 10. "The Ireland game was very nice, but against the Pacific Islanders and Australia I have learned heavily.

"We are a new team coming together, so everything isn't going to be 100% correct all the time. We have got to keep working on it to make sure we are on the same wavelength. The communication is coming. It is going to get better.

"Martin Johnson has picked me again, and I have a chance to put a stamp on the game. I expect to direct the team in the right way. We have a juggernaut pack and a fantastic back line and we want to create some excitement. I think you will see that on Saturday.

"I think English fans are wanting a win just as much as we do. It is what we are striving for."

England were punished by Australia for conceding too many penalties but they were also let down by an inability to convert pressure and opportunities into points.

Cipriani made two searing breaks, neither of which led to a try, and he was guilty of a poor drop-goal and two missed penalties. Australia fed off mistakes to win the game from 39% of possession, and the fly-half admits England must become much more ruthless if they are turn the tables on South Africa.

"As a team, when we reach the last 10 metres we have to recognise this is the red zone and we need to kill the opposition off and come away with points," Cipriani said. "I need to find consistency - so does the team - and we are learning a lot with every match.

"We did produce some good things against Australia and put together a great sequence of play. Then I executed a drop goal badly. I take responsibility for that. It was a poor kick. I was also disappointed to only manage two out of four kicks at goal. That wasn't good enough for me. "I will spend a lot of time working on my kicking in practice this week."

Cipriani's former club captain Lawrence Dallaglio urged England fans to rein in their expectations and remember their new golden boy is just two full seasons and five Test caps into his career.

In contrast, Giteau has 63 Test caps to his name - having made his Test debut at Twickenham way back in 2002. "I think what we have to recognise with Danny is that in the space of a few performances he's been built up to be the finished article," said Dallaglio. "He sets himself very high standards, as his predecessor Jonny Wilkinson did, and when he doesn't live up to those standards he's very disappointed.

"But he's only played two seasons for Wasps - one at full back, one at fly-half. He had a horrendous injury and recovered from that and he's only started for England three times.

"I think Danny will have learned a lot from the Australia game, and the good thing about him is that he does learn very quickly. Saying that, Danny did two or three things in that game that other players are not capable of doing - and he'll get better and better."

Cipriani went down at one point against Australia holding the ankle he injured so badly in May. For a second, the Twickenham crowd held its breath. "I got two knocks, but it was fine. I just had a quick look at it to make sure it was in the right position," he smiled.

© Scrum.com

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