Danny Cipriani makes an instant impact as Gloucester take flight against Saints

There was never any danger of what happened in Jersey cowing Danny Cipriani. England’s fly-half marked his competitive debut for Gloucester by showing typical virtuosity, influencing the match not through the quantity of his output but its quality.

He was the catalyst for Gloucester’s two first-half tries, often standing at second receiver to give him more time to deal with Northampton’s line speed and manoeuvre runners into space. The second was quintessential Cipriani: realising he had a free hit with advantage being played after the home side’s superior scrum had yielded another penalty, Cipriani drew defenders inside the Saints’ 22 before exploiting their narrowness with a 25-metre pass that took them all out and gave Charlie Sharples a run-in.

The England head coach Eddie Jones, who will on Wednesday speak for the first time about Cipriani’s appearance before magistrates in Jersey on a charge of common assault, was among the spectators, a few days after he had suggested to the head of referees at Twickenham, Tony Spreadbury, that there should be more of a contest for possession at the breakdown in the Premiership. Spreadbury listened over a coffee and offered sympathy but replied that the law would be enforced.

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And so two minutes in, when the Northampton prop Alex Waller contested for the ball on his feet after a tackle, he was entitled to think he would be given the extra time allowed in the Pro 14 and Test arena with Gloucester slow to support. He was not and was penalised, presenting Billy Twelvetrees with the first three points of the game.

Spreadbury saying the law must be observed is all very well, but was Waller breaking the law or was the offence one of the tackled player not releasing? The point Jones has been trying to make is that some competitions regard some infringements as more worthy of a penalty than others: how many attacking players were blown last season for entering rucks from the side, something that invariably a penalty if committed by a defender. It depends which side your pendulum swings.

The interpretation was to work for Northampton later in the half when Ruan Ackermann and Val Ruskin were penalised for competing for the ball while not supporting their body weight, and far more counter-attacking opportunities came from handling errors than jackalling. It made for a game in which risk was not always rewarded but, considering the playing and coaching upheaval at Northampton in the close season and the radical change Johan Ackermann has brought to Gloucester in the last year, there was no lack of structure.

Chris Boyd’s early stamp on the side was to move Luther Burrell from inside-centre to 13 and arm the fly-half Dan Biggar, making his Premiership debut, with a midfield playmaker in Piers Francis. Gloucester had Cipriani and Twelvetrees and at a period in the game when there is emphasis on passing and width rather than bashing and kicking, the contrast with Bath the previous night was graphic.

Bath had struggled to get the ball to the wings without a playmaking 12, but here Cipriani and Biggar often acted as second or even third receivers, scenting space and putting players through it. The position for Gloucester’s first try was created by Cipriani who, standing outside Twelvetrees at a lineout, sent Jason Woodward on an outside break. One penalty kick to touch later, Ed Slater’s take turned into a try for James Hanson.

Northampton were shaken and stirred into action. Biggar, a fly-half who likes to immerse himself in everything, rather than wait for his moment like Cipriani, kicked a penalty on 11 minutes and saved a try later in the half with a cover tackle on Matt Banahan. He stood flat and directed his attack, but he fluffed three restarts and missed two conversions.

Northampton drew level in the first half, Biggar’s second penalty following a Francis try created by Ahsee Tuala who flattened two tacklers, but Sharples’s try gave Gloucester a 21-11 interval lead. The second period was flatter, Gloucester keeping their opponents at arm’s length, two Twelvetrees penalties countered by a Courtney Lawes try from a driving lineout after Tom Hudson had been sent to the sin-bin. The Saints were denied a late try and left without a bonus point, but their tanker is on the turn.