RWC 2015: England admit Mike Catt and Danny Cipriani bust-up

England staff await investigation into alleged approach to referee

England and Sale fly-half Danny Cipriani (Getty Images)

England’s beleaguered hierarchy found themselves in fire-fighting mode once again yesterday as a fresh blaze of negative publicity tore through the World Cup hosts’ camp. The Rugby Football Union rejected claims of serious training-ground discontent among the players following a spat between the attacking skills coach Mike Catt and the outside-half Danny Cipriani.

The governing body admitted there had been a “robust conversation” between the two in late August, shortly after Cipriani was informed of his failure to make the final 31-man squad for the global tournament. But they denied claims that the incident almost sparked a mutiny among the players who witnessed it.

“There was a misunderstanding over a training drill instruction,” said an RFU spokesman. “Mike’s only intention was to get the best out of the player, as he does for all the players. They shook hands afterwards.”

Cipriani is no stranger to lively moments on the practice paddock. He had a significant bust-up with a member of the coaching team during Martin Johnson’s stewardship of the national side ahead of the last World Cup in New Zealand, and he found himself on the painful end of a punch from his clubmate Josh Lewsey during a Wasps training session around the same time.

But more recently, the celebrity midfielder has been praised for his attitude and application – not just by Steve Diamond, his current boss at the Premiership club Sale, but by the England head coach Stuart Lancaster. Cipriani was bitterly disappointed at failing to survive the final squad cut for this World Cup, but no one could accuse him of not backing his countrymen. Only last week, he made the patriotic if ill-advised assertion that not one of the Wallaby team named for the big game with the hosts at Twickenham was good enough to merit a place in Lancaster’s line-up.

Catt has been at the centre of other rumours as the fall-out from the Australia defeat intensifies. The 2003 World Cup-winner rubbished reports that he had stormed out of a selection meeting, pledging never to return.

Meanwhile, the England back-roomers were still waiting to hear from the sport’s supreme governing body, World Rugby, which has been investigating an accusation of impropriety during the Wallaby defeat. Two coaches are alleged to have approached Romain Poite, the French referee, to complain about his handling of the match.