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Quite how Wasps supporters are feeling today, only they will know. Sport plays with emotions like few other experiences but if they were pinching themselves after their eight-try win over Saracens on Sunday, then that has probably accelerated into a punch with the confirmation of Danny Cipriani's return.

In April, 2012, Wasps were staring into the precipice. Things could hardly have been grimmer for the seemingly fallen giants. They had a miserly £65.16 in the bank and were on the brink of relegation. Had then Wasps winger Tom Varndell not caught the celebrating Bath fullback Sam Vesty -- preventing the try that preserved the losing bonus point that retained their Aviva Premiership status -- the team built on the expectation of success could have been banished into the desperate void that swallowed the likes of Orrell.

Clubs' fortunes rarely hinge on one moment, one tackle in a match where 91 were made by Wasps but from that trip to the Rec, there were steady improvements. A year on from Varndell's tackle, Wasps were taken over by a consortium led by Derek Richardson; they went from being run on air and good will to solid fuel. Then in October 2014 came the announcement of the move to Coventry, a call that alienated their loyal Adams Park fan base but an essential one if they were to shift accordingly with the rigours of an ever-modernising cash-driven sport.

There was an awareness that relocating 80 miles from their ground to the foreign landscapes of Coventry would not prove popular but even the most ardent doubter would have surely raised a smile at the 28,254 folk who packed in to see them trounce London Irish in their first match in the Midlands. That smile would have been broader still at the dismantling Wasps handed out to Toulon at the Ricoh in December. And now the smashing of Sarries and the return of their prodigal son.

Cipriani's call to spurn Toulon's advances and re-sign for the side he played for as a boy and then left in 2010 sees Wasps enter the big boy's playground in terms of clout. The reported £300,000-a-year fee is level par for a prominent rugby player but it is the fact that he has bought into their vision which is most striking here.

The Ricoh Arena boasts conference centres, a casino and a hotel putting Wasps on a financial level with French giants Toulouse, but money can't always guarantee success - look at how Bath are faring this season. Had Cipriani stayed at Sale he would have continued to be on the England fringes but the shift to Wasps signals a belief he can win silverware in Coventry.

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The Cipriani that left Wasps in 2010 sometimes fell on the wrong side of the tight-rope of discipline. The shift to the Melbourne Rebels saw him garner headlines for off-field matters, something that was addressed at Sale when he hired Jonny Wilkinson's mentor Steve Black to aid the mental side of his game. His talent was never in doubt - watch the highlights of his performance for England against Ireland in 2008 - but he is now on track mentally which means Wasps are bringing back a more developed player than the one who left.

He will be a good fit at Wasps. Sunday's hammering of Saracens saw them play with a wonderful abandon with Nathan Hughes' gainline-breaking skill and deft offloads blending beautifully with their astute running lines and ruthlessness. He will enjoy life in that side, and although they will have to find a replacement for the Ulster-bound Charles Piutau, with resources no object they may yet produce another gem to replace the All Black.

And then hovering above his switch to Wasps are the England prospects. So far he has not been picked by Eddie Jones but if he can prove to be the pivot that propels them into perennial top-four contenders then his skillset may be too irresistible for the national coach.

This move is hard on Sale; they were the side who invested their trust in him and brought him back from Super Rugby in 2012 but that's the beast of the modern-day rugby business. It is only one transfer when you look at the basic facts of this move but it is a sign of Wasps' return to the top levels of European rugby in appeal, financial muscle and stability.