Super Rugby
Cipriani in talks over Rebels future
ESPNscrum Staff
May 31, 2011

Danny Cipriani's management are meeting with Melbourne Rebels officials in an attempt to resolve the increasingly fractious dispute between the club and the player.

The former England fly-half was omitted from the Rebels tour of South Africa following a series of disciplinary breaches with the club saying they had lost confidence in the player, who was subsequently linked with a move to back to the Aviva Premiership with Bath.

Following the conclusion of the tour assistant coach Damien Hill denied Cipriani was on his way out of the club and insisted he could be considered for the Rebels match against the Stormers in Melbourne on Saturday. But Cipriani's return will depend on a successful resolution between the club and player.

"The administration is in talking with Danny's management at the moment regarding his availability for this week," Hill told AAP. "It's not ideal, but that's just the way it is at the moment.

"You'll find out more about that tomorrow when we'll be announcing the team. There are issues there that need to be resolved and that's being handled by the administration."

The Rebels are expected to name their team for Friday night's home showdown against South African powerhouses the Stormers on Wednesday.

Cipriani has experienced a rollercoaster ride since arriving in Australia. He was fined after reportedly taking a bottle of vodka from a Melbourne nightclub, but went from villain to hero by nailing a match-winning penalty in the Rebels' first ever victory.

The 23-year-old played important roles in Melbourne's two other Super Rugby wins against the Western Force and Hurricanes, but poor defence saw him dropped to the bench. Cipriani then found himself in more hot water when he and team-mate Richard Kingi broke a team curfew after a loss to the Waratahs in Sydney in late April.

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