Peter Jackson: Forgotten Dwayne finds new ally in Cips
One half of the Anglo-Welsh double act, Dwayne Peel, has a fair idea of how it feels to be a prophet without honour in his own land. The other could give Kevin Pietersen a serious run for his money when it comes to upsetting the England management.
Danny Cipriani, eager to erase the bad boy image over his ex-communication from the national squad, has been brought back from Australia by Sale Sharks to be the other half of what they hope will turn out to be a half-back operation second to none.
As the new season looms ever nearer, Peel and his ‘frequently misunderstood’ new partner will be driven by a common motivation, the one which comes from having been declared surplus to requirements by their respective countries. While successive England regimes had disciplinary issues with Cipriani, Wales have studiously ignored Peel, creating the impression at times that they would rather pick any scrum-half other than the most-capped one of all.
Marginalised since Warren Gatland’s appointment as head coach almost five years ago, Peel has been permitted nothing more than two fleeting appearances off the bench during the last two years. He took part in the final ten minutes during the first match of the 2010 Six Nations, at home to England, and managed three minutes longer during the last match of the tournament, France in Paris.
Since then, nothing. During that time three other scrum-halves have been promoted as cover for Mike Phillips – Tavis Knoyle, Lloyd Williams and, most recently, Rhys Webb. Four more have also appeared since Peel’s demotion at the end of 2007 – Richie Rees, Gareth Cooper, Martin Roberts and Warren Fury.
Gatland’s regime does not lack for expertise at scrum-half. Rob Howley, capped 59 times before and after the turn of the century, knows a good scrum-half when he sees one although he is unlikely to subscribe to Cipriani’s high opinion of his fellow Shark.
“Dwayne Peel is someone I have admired for years,” he says. “He is probably in the top three scrum-halves in the Northern Hemisphere. I can’t wait to play with him and get on the end of those passes.”
Judging by the way they have consistently overlooked Peel, Wales do not appear to regard him among the top three scrum- halves in the Principality. The Sharks have no such doubts as to the calibre of a player now on the threshold of a fourth season at Sale since heading north from Llanelli.
“They said they didn’t pick him because he wasn’t playing in Wales,” Sharks chief executive Steve Diamond said, sounding slightly mystified. “Well, if they based their selection on that, they wouldn’t be able to pick a team, what with all those playing in France and in other parts of England.
“All I can say is that he does a brilliant job for us. He ups the tempo every time he plays. If he turns it on regularly, he will get his reward. The same goes for Danny and anyone else. With the kind of quality which Dwayne will supply Danny, we’re looking forward to the team being on fire.”
The unlikely lads first bumped into each other at their previous clubs five years ago, Cipriani’s Wasps doing a Heineken Cup double over Peel’s Scarlets. Ironically, the Englishman’s Test debut, against Wales at Twickenham in February 2008, coincided with Peel’s omission from what was Gatland’s first match in charge of the Red Dragons. Of the 60 internationals Wales have played during the last five years, Peel made four starts and four late appearances off the bench. Far from abandoning hope, the 76-cap international and three-times capped Lion pins his faith in Sale’s performances during the coming months reinforcing his belief that he still has an international future.
“When I first signed for the Sharks, we had a superstar team,” he says. “I regret that some of the boys left, like (Luke) McAlister and Charlie (Hodgson) – both fantastic players. But give Steve Diamond credit. He’s transformed the place.
“Last season was always going to be a learning period because of all the changes in the squad. Now we’re much more of a high-profile team with people like Richie Gray (Scotland lock) and Danny coming in as great additions to the young players with big futures, like Rob Miller.
“We have one of the best facilities in the country and the pre-season work makes me really enthusiastic about the new season. I’m fully fit which is nice after a couple of seasons of injuries.”
After well-documented scrapes with England regimes headed by Brian Ashton, then Martin Johnson, a rebellious Cipriani took off for the faraway shore and alternative employment with the appropriately named Melbourne Rebels. Perhaps he found the Super 15 wasn’t quite as super as stated on the tin.
Now, no doubt wiser for the experience, he is starting all over again with the only northern club left in the Aviva Premiership following the relegation of first Leeds, then Newcastle. Diamond is nothing if not undaunted about Danny Boy’s return.
“It’s all about how you manage him,” Diamond says. “All right, Danny was caught out late at night a couple of times but he’s over that. He’s a lot more mature and really keen to play for England again. He’s come to an unfashionable club because he wants to make his mark.”
How he and Peel fare in tandem promises to be one of the more intriguing sub-plots of the new season.
