Is Danny Cipriani paying for his famous girlfriend?

Not long ago, rugby star Danny Cipriani had recovered from a serious ankle injury, retained his berth at fly-half in the England team and was starting to step out with Kelly Brook. He could have been forgiven for thinking that he had it all.

But while his relationship with the model-turned-actress may have survived, Cipriani learned yesterday that he had not been picked for the England squad to face the Barbarians and Argentina this summer. This comes after he missed out on a place on the Lions tour to South Africa. Is somebody jealous? At least one rugby commentator believes so.

The Wasps player has fallen so far down the pecking order that, even though Johnny Wilkinson (who signed yesterday for French club Toulon), Toby Flood and Olly Barkley are all unavailable through injury, he has still been demoted. He makes way for Leicester's in-form Sam Vesty, a player who was out of favour and considering his future at the club only four months ago.

So, instead of lining up alongside the senior internationals, Cipriani will compete for the England Saxons against the United States and Canada, hardly rugby powerhouses, and Ireland A in the Churchill Cup. "I will do my very best for the Saxons and am looking forward to joining up with them," he told the Sunday Times, "but I can't pretend that I am not massively disappointed."

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Stephen Jones, the Sunday Times: "Rugby is notorious for giving a hard time to those with profile, especially those allegedly crossing the line into celebrity. Gavin Henson's career has been blighted unfairly by it. But the treatment of Cipriani has been appalling. It seems that to have a profile and a famous girlfriend is deemed to be an offence in itself; surely, it only becomes one if it is allowed to affect his play, and dilute his magnificent talent."

Robert Kitson, the Guardian: "Danny Cipriani finds himself ranked as approximately the sixth best fly-half in England, behind the injured Toby Flood and Jonny Wilkinson, Andy Goode, Sam Vesty and [Tom] May. Shane Geraghty and Stephen Myler are also in the Saxons mix. You get the impression that Mike Catt, or even Rob Andrew, had a better chance of playing No 10 for the senior side this summer. Johnson, though, insists May and Vesty owe their places to simple logic: they have been playing better than Cipriani over these past three months."