Danny Cipriani may not have been recognised by England this season but he has by his peers. The Gloucester fly-half was one of the five nominees for the Rugby Players’ Association player of the year in a list that was made up entirely of backs and topped the poll 11 years after he won the young player of the year award.
The shortlist did not include a player from Saracens, Saturday’s European Champions Cup finalists for the third season in four who are on course for a seventh Premiership final this decade. Owen Farrell is the only one of the club’s players who has been nominated in the last five seasons, residue, perhaps, of unsubstantiated suggestions – hotly disputed by the club – that they have not adhered to the salary cap regulations with fervour.
Related: Gloucester’s Danny Cipriani voted player of year by fellow professionals
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