Danny Cipriani: Eddie Jones could not bully me – so he never picked me

Danny Cipriani has accused Eddie Jones of ignoring him while England head coach because he “didn’t feel like he could bully me” and said he “wouldn’t give him my child for a week”.

In a brutal assessment of the Australian’s seven-year reign as England head coach, former fly-half Cipriani claimed Jones has “a chip on his shoulder” in everything he does in life.

Jones’s tenure at England has come under increased scrutiny after recent damning allegations by former international scrum-half Danny Care in his new book.

Care offered a revealing insight into his experience of life under the uncompromising Australian and alleged in vivid detail how the players and support staff lived in constant fear of Jones, who has refused to respond to the comments.

Cipriani, speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon as he prepares to play in a cross-code game to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease charities at Headingley on Sunday, won just a handful of caps under Jones and was never fully trusted by him.

The 37-year-old, one of the most gifted talents of his generation, claimed he had not read Care’s comments but laid bare his misgivings about Jones.

Fights with Lancaster and Farrell

He said he also “had to fight” against Stuart Lancaster and Andy Farrell in the England set-up before Jones took charge.

Cipriani, currently based in Los Angeles, claimed: “Eddie probably felt that I would stand up to him too much and he didn’t feel like he could bully me, so he just didn’t bring me into the environment.

“I’ve always said what I feel and it’s only controversial to a coach who wants it to be done their way and isn’t open to seeing another viewpoint.

“With Eddie, you guys saw how he spoke to the media and the way he carries himself.

“I wouldn’t give him my child for a week and he’s not someone I’d want to lead my country either, because of the way he is.

“That’s his experience of the world and I know he’s had a tough one [life]. He’s got his chip on his shoulder and he kind of leads with that everywhere he goes – and he’s always in a fight.

“I don’t think he’s happy with the way he’s behaving and the way he is. I think it’s all he knows, so I also have compassion for him.”

Jones failed to inspire or motivate

Cipriani revealed a lingering bitterness over Jones’s reluctance to pick him more often than he did and claimed any successes he enjoyed were undermined by the uncomfortable man-management style.

“You can win games of rugby, especially with England, doing whatever you want to do because we’ve got so many good players,” Cipriani said. “But I don’t really judge you as a coach. It’s more, ‘How do you uplift the nation and inspire players? How do you get people to play outside of themselves in a bigger capacity rather than within themselves?’

“When coaches do that, then I’m listening. I found Eddie difficult in that sense because I was turning water to wine in one season and he didn’t even pick me, so it was mad.

“You’ve got men here who are putting their bodies on the line and being vulnerable but they might not show much openness. As a coach you’ve got to try and bring that out in people. It’s not just about winning games of rugby, otherwise you can behave as you want – when you want – and get seven-year contracts just as he did.

“We see how that didn’t benefit English rugby, but the powers-that-be who run the game have quite clearly shown that they don’t know what they’re looking at.”

Cipriani made his England debut in 2008 but only went on to win 16 caps for his country, with his last appearance coming against South Africa in 2018.

Cipriani’s off-pitch problems were a common theme of his chaotic career but he remains proud of what he achieved.

‘I had to fight against a regime every single time I was playing’

He added: “I was adamant about living the very best life I could and becoming the very best person I could through all the chaos and bullying I experienced.

“The singling out the media did, and, throughout, the way rugby union segregated me in the way they did because it suited their image or culture.

“To stay strong and true to myself – and be sat here now completely calm and enjoying and loving life – I would say my career was super successful.

“I had to fight against a regime every single time I was playing.

“I had to fight against people like Stuart Lancaster, Andy Farrell and Eddie Jones.

“I’ve got nothing against these people – it’s part of my experience – but to have a chaos-free mind and be full of love; I’m pretty proud of myself to be honest.

‘I was never going to suffer fools just to get picked for England’

“Obviously I’d have loved to have more caps, but I was never going to suffer fools or bend my truth just to get picked for England. That’s sometimes something that happens within the industry.”

Cipriani, meanwhile, said he “does not feel sorry” for current England playmaker Marcus Smith after he was hauled off during the recent home defeat by New Zealand.

“He’s getting opportunity after opportunity, which is great because he’s super talented, but it’s a system which you kind of have to go along with.

“I guess that’s where coaches felt that they didn’t want to bring me in so much because I wouldn’t suffer fools and be like, ‘Yes sir, no sir’ when something doesn’t make sense.

“Sometimes when you’re in those environments you kind of have to bite your lip to get selected.

“You’re kind of at the mercy of the coach’s viewpoint, which is often limited, and that’s through no fault of their own.”