Cipriani banned for curfew breach

Cipriani spent seven seasons at Wasps before moving Down Under

Former England fly-half Danny Cipriani has accepted a one-match ban for breaking a team curfew agreed with his Melbourne Rebels team-mates.

The 23-year-old and scrum-half Richard Kingi defied an agreement to avoid a late night after Saturday’s 28-9 defeat by the New South Wales Waratahs.

“We are disappointed that these players have put themselves before the team,” said Rebels captain Tim Davidson.

In February, Cipriani was fined by the Rebels for an incident in a nightclub.

On that occasion, the former Wasps star was ejected from the venue for helping himself to a bottle of vodka.

Cipriani and Kingi, who both began the defeat by the Waratahs on the bench, will miss the Rebels’ meeting with the Queensland Reds on Friday.

The Rebels have so far put together a credible debut campaign in the Super 15, winning three of their first ten games.

Cipriani, who agreed a switch to the franchise from Wasps in February 2010, has appeared in all of his new employer’s matches. His haul of 91 points includes one try.

In 2008, he was dropped from the England team to face Scotland in the Six Nations because of what the Rugby Football Union has described as “inappropriate behaviour”.