LONDON (Reuters) – Gloucester flyhalf Danny Cipriani was named Premiership player of the season on Wednesday, becoming only the secondman to win the award in the same year as claiming the Players’ player of the year prize.
Cipriani led Gloucester to their first appearance in the playoffs since 2011 in his first season at the club and they face European champions Saracens on Saturday.
The 31-year-old become the second player to complete the award double after Wasps back Jimmy Gopperth in 2017.
“I’m so proud of him – it’s always a big thing when a player joins a club and there’s a bit of pressure on you to perform,” Gloucester coach Johan Ackermann said.
“He’s probably got the best skill I’ve seen from a flyhalf from an attacking point of view, he can kick well and he’s extremely fast. He knows what he wants in attack and his distribution is top class.”
Cipriani will hope his form convinces England coach Eddie Jones he is worth a place in the World Cup training squad due to be named in July.
After handing Cipriani a first test start in 10 years last June, Jones has left the mercurial flyhalf out of his recent squads in favour of Owen Farrell and George Ford.
(Reporting by Joe Cassinelli, editing by Ed Osmond)