Danny Cipriani should be England captain for World Cup in Japan, according to talkSPORT host Adrian Durham
The 31-year-old was called an 'inspiration' and praised for joining Gloucester rather than moving abroad to further his career
Adrian Durham has passionately explained why Danny Cipriani HAS to be made England captain for the World Cup in Japan.
After a sensational start to the Six Nations in Dublin, Eddie Jones’ men rather flattered to deceive.
Despite thrashing France at Twickenham, England then lost to Wales away and missed out on the chance to win the Grand Slam before the tournament in Japan.
Against Scotland in their final game, captain Owen Farrell appeared to suffer a mental lapse as he made a series of fatal errors before Jones hauled the fly-half off.
With the Australian admitting he needs to bring in a sports psychologist to erase the scars from the 2015 World Cup where England capitulated.
The former Saracens coach has famously refused to call up a number of talented backs for England such as Alex Goode of Saracens.
But it is Gloucester new boy Cipriani’s continued omission which has irked Durham, who now feels the 31-year-old must lead his country on the biggest stage.
“The key point for me is that Danny Cipriani has to play; he’s been brilliant in case you don’t know,” Durham said on Wednesday.
“He doesn’t just have to play, he has to be the captain of the England rugby team and I am going to tell you why.
“It’s not just that he is a brilliant player, it’s that he is so much more than that. He is an inspiration.
“When you look at his life and the way he conducts himself – there have been little bumps in the road along the way, we all have those.
“But he has recovered from those. He has responded in the right way to those. He is an inspiration, he is a role model and he’s got a social conscience.
“If you look at the things he says, he has a column now and the things he Tweets as well, this is a guy who really cares about the world around him and that’s the kind of guy I want to be captain of my team, the captain of my country.
“He doesn’t just say all the right things and bland statements and stuff that interests nobody whatsoever. He actually has a social conscience. He cares and he uses his position wisely.
“So I would say he has shown commitment to his country as well by not just instantly going over to France and taking the money – he could have had a far more lucrative contract over there than he does in the Premiership.
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“Because he wanted to play for his country and Eddie Jones has completely ignored him as he has a history of doing – ignoring the best players in club rugby.
“So for me, it is a no-brainer. There is no captain for England at the moment – as brilliant as Owen Farrell is - he’s’ no Alun Wyn Jones.
“You’re going to be hard-pressed to find an Alun Wyn Jones. But for me, Cipriani should be England captain.”