BADBOY star Danny Cipriani is back in the England fold after three years out in the cold.
Boss Eddie Jones finally bowed to pressure and picked the fly-half for the tour to South Africa after overlooking him for his 2½ year reign.
The Wasps ace, 30, has been out of the squad since 2015, when he came off the bench in a defeat against France in the Six Nations.
Cipriani has also not played for his country since being convicted for drink driving in 2016, when he was banned from getting behind the wheel for 18 months and ordered to pay £7,620 in fines.
Since then, the 14-cap international has returned to Wasps, after stints at Sale and Melbourne Rebels.
And after finally being given the nod by coach Jones, it is a golden opportunity for Cipriani to showcase his talent with next year’s World Cup on the horizon.
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Cipriani last started a Red Rose Test 10 years ago and even though he has starred in the No10 shirt – could be unleashed as a fullback against the Springboks.
Seven new players have got the nod with Owen Farrell captaining the tour after Dylan Hartley was ruled out through injury.
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Jones said: “We’re missing 20 players who would be in the top 45 of the players in England so it’s a great opportunity for England to expand its depth.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to do something that’s never been done before.
“No England side has won a series in South Africa where there’s a win percentage of 23 per cent.
“So there’s a mountain to climb, but there’s nothing better to inspire to work a bit harder and to work together than to climb a big mountain.
“We’re missing something like 700 caps so that puts a great hole in our experience, so the guys who have played a number of Tests and are still in the squad carry enormous responsibility.
“Then for the young guys coming in they’ve got the potential to show that they’ve got the ability to play Test match rugby and to show they can handle the toughness of a Test match series in South Africa.”
Danny Care is out of the tour after being given the chance to have a rest, while Billy Vunipola’s return to fitness is a welcome sight for Jones.
Brad Shields, who isn’t even good enough to get an All Blacks cap, has also been picked by England.
The English-qualified back-row will join Jones’ squad in South Africa despite being in the middle of the Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes.
But the NZRU still kicked up a major stink about the 27-year-old’s selection.
England squad to tour South Africa
BACKS
Full backs
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Wasps)
Nathan Earle (Saracens)
Jonny May (Leicester Tigers)
Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks)
Inside backs
Danny Cipriani (Wasps)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
George Ford (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Lozowski (Saracens)
Cameron Redpath (Sale Sharks)
Dan Robson (Wasps)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Ben Spencer (Saracens)
Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
FORWARDS
Back five
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Joe Launchbury (Wasps)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins)
Brad Shields (Hurricanes/ Wasps)
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Jack Willis (Wasps)
Mark Wilson (Newcastle)
Front row
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)
They said: “Our contract agreement requires Brad to be available for only New Zealand teams until the end of his term, which expires at the end of this year’s Super Rugby season.
“Having said that, Brad has been an exceptional leader inside the Hurricanes environment and a loyal servant to New Zealand Rugby.
“We have taken some time to carefully work through the complexities of this request, to ensure that we gave appropriate consideration to his specific circumstances. In the end, we are happy with the terms of his temporary release.
“We are extremely disappointed that the RFU chose to take this unusual step in seeking this release given that Brad has not yet played rugby in England.
“We are releasing Brad with our best wishes, and we hope to see him achieve his goal of playing international rugby in June.”
And Shields, who signs for Wasps later this summer, said: “I’m really appreciative that New Zealand Rugby has considered my request,” he said in a statement.
“I know it’s been a complex matter for them, but I’m hugely grateful for their support on this.”
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