Gloucester have fined their England outside-half Danny Cipriani, who has yet to play for the club after joining from Wasps in the summer, £2,000 following an incident in a Jersey nightclub last week that led to his arrest and an appearance before magistrates on the island.
Senior club officials met Cipriani yesterday at the club’s training ground in Hartpury to discuss the incident, which occurred during the club’s training week in Jersey and saw the 30-year old fined £2,000 after admitting common assault and resisting arrest having spent two days behind bars.
It is not the end of the affair for Cipriani who, three months after being picked in the England squad for the first time since before the 2015 World Cup, faces a disciplinary hearing next week after being charged by the Rugby Football Union for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.
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Gloucester are furious at the RFU’s move, which could see Cipriani banned for the first few weeks of the new season. Their own inquiry concluded that he was not guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and Gloucester have said they will support him at the hearing, which implies that the charge will be contested.
“Having reviewed all the facts and spoken to both Danny and (scrum-half) Willi Heinz, who witnessed the events first hand, we are in agreement with the magistrate in Jersey that this was a minor incident,” said Gloucester in a statement. “While Danny is very apologetic for his actions, we do not believe he is guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and he will continue to get our full support.
“Danny has now faced disciplinary action from both the courts and his club and, with the new season about to kick off, our focus is very much on preparing for Northampton on 1 September.”
Gloucester stated half the £2,000 fine would be paid to the club’s chosen charity, Pied Piper, which raises money and awareness for sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire. The remaining half will be paid to Restart Rugby, the official charity of the Rugby Players’ Association.
In addition, Cipriani will undertake an additional 10 hours of community service and work with Gloucester Rugby’s community staff coaching local children.