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Munster wary of Danny Cipriani's X-factor ahead of trip to Sale

The southern province feel Cipriani ‘can turn a game with one play.’

MUNSTER HAVE PICKED out Sale’s Danny Cipriani as the key individual threat ahead of their Champions Cup Pool 1 opener at AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday [KO 13.00].

While Steve Diamond’s side have been in patchy form in the opening month of the Premiership season, notching only two wins in six games, Cipriani has demonstrated some of the same game-changing ability that earned him an England recall last summer.

Rugby Union - Aviva Premiership - Northampton Saints v Sale Sharks - Franklin's Gardens David Davies David Davies

Munster head coach Anthony Foley underlined the fact that he expects a physical challenge from Sale up front, but pinpointed 26-year-old Cipriani as the central figure.

“They do have a bit of X-factor in Cipriani, I think everybody sees that,” said Foley. “He’s got an ability that most other fly-halves don’t have and it’s important how we go about marshalling him. It’ll probably be a major factor in the game.

“We’ve an awareness of Cipriani’s kicking game. It’s not just at posts, it’s not just drop goals; he can kick equally threateningly off both feet – long and short, to regather and for himself.”

Fullback Felix Jones concurred that “guys like Cipriani can turn a game with one play,” stressing that Munster’s defence cannot afford any lapses in focus or organisation. Present the former Wasps out-half with a mismatch against a trundling forward and he will produce a clean line break.

Perceptions of Cipriani often focus on that running threat, those darting bursts of attacking creation with ball in hand, but Munster’s analysis has largely centred on the rounded kicking game the eight-times capped England international offers.

“His kicking is very impressive,” says Munster fullback Felix Jones. “He can kick off left foot, right foot, a whole array of styles. He can put in cross-fields, little chips, little dinks over the top, small ones along the ground. I think certainly we’re going to be tested.”

Conor Murray – himself a key figure in Munster’s attack – backs up Jones’ words.

“He’s pulling all sorts of kicks out of the bag, over his shoulder, ones that you wouldn’t be used to seeing,” says Murray. “Our backfield has to be working pretty well at the weekend.”

And yet, despite the insistent words of praise, there is a fragility about Cipriani too, a threat of collapse that is partly what makes him such an intriguing figure.

His work with Steve Black, long-time mentor of Jonny Wilkinson, has brought a steadier mental edge to Cipriani’s game and lifestyle in the past two years, but Munster will be keen on rattling the ex-Melbourne Rebels man – much as they are with any out-half.

“He’s somebody that if he doesn’t turn up, it might be the game plan out the window,” says Foley. “He’s that type of player for them, he’s got that X-factor for them and obviously he brings other people into the game.”

From Murray’s point of view, ensuring Cipriani and his halfback partner Chris Cusiter have minimal involvement is the smartest way of preventing them from having a telling influence on the result.

“We’ve looked at them and they’re quality players. If they get front foot ball and their pack is dominant over us, it’s going to be a tough task to get a result over there,” outlines Murray.

“We’ll probably have to try and stop it at source. They’re a proud team with a big English pack of forwards that will probably look to maul us and beat us up physically.

“Cusiter and Cipriani will pull the strings off that, we’re fully aware of what they can do off front foot ball.”

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