Cipriani takes his demotion on the chin

AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS NEWS: IT IS Jonny Wilkinson's fault and David Beckham's too. If you play in a pivotal role for England or dare to hook up with a partner from the world of showbusiness you are guaranteed to be the focus of attention.

If you do both simultaneously at 21 there is absolutely no escape. Any subsequent dip in performance magnifies the pressure and generates fresh intrigue.

Being dropped by England will hurt, but in time Danny Cipriani may come to view his descent to the bench as a relative blessing.

For a start, it helps him embark on the welcome return journey from boy wonder to normal squad member. Had Martin Johnson stuck with him in the starting line-up to face New Zealand on Saturday, against all evidence after last week's 42-6 defeat by South Africa, it would have marked Cipriani out as a special case. Opponents do not like 21-year-old special cases; nor do some team-mates.

There was even a hint from Cipriani that he is less than gutted to be offered the chance to take a half-step back and regroup after a torrid fortnight which also included a defeat by Australia.

"It is a slight setback but I'm not looking at it like that," he said, eyeing the forest of microphones with wry amusement. "It's an opportunity for me to be more relaxed. There's not as much pressure on you . . . when you come on the field you can just enjoy it."

It is the closest Cipriani will probably come to admitting he has been attempting too much too soon. The outhalf has done well to get back at all after suffering an ankle fracture dislocation in May which threatened to keep him out for a significant period of time. His mistake was to assume that the magic of his first Twickenham start, a 33-10 win over Ireland last season, could instantly be rekindled.

"Last week wasn't the greatest but it was only my seventh game back from injury," he said. "I spoke to (Wasps head coach) Shaun Edwards and he said that when he had his first major injury it took him 10 games to get back into it."

Cipriani also said that Jonny Wilkinson had called him more than once to offer support and advice, although a couple of ordinary performances do not seem to have left a permanent dent on the younger man's psyche.

"Mentally I feel fine," he said. "My confidence isn't going to dip at all. I know what I can produce, there's no issue there. I've shown glimpses of what I can do, it's just about getting the consistency back. It's like most things: if you don't do something for a while you have to get used to it again.

"I think this series has been a vital experience for me. I didn't expect to be a world-class player after just seven games back but I did expect to be producing some sort of form and to have more consistency. That's something I need to improve on. I expect a lot more of myself."

But what of Cipriani's tabloid profile? Only last Saturday night the prince of the West End pavements was snapped while out with the actress Kelly Brook. As he protested yesterday, however, there was a pretty good reason.

"It was my girlfriend's birthday. I'm going to go out with her, aren't I? Every single one of the players went out . . . you've still got to enjoy yourself. Just because I was photographed doesn't make me a celebrity. I'm just very lucky to have a gorgeous girlfriend. I wasn't drinking, I was back home early. It's an easy stick to use but there is no celebrity lifestyle. Like I said, I'm just lucky in my choice of girlfriend."

Lucky in love, lucky in life? We have not heard the last of Danny Boy. A few bench splinters won't kill him.

• Guardian Service