Defiant Cipriani: England axe has not damaged me

Cipriani has rejoined his London Wasps team-mates for the first of two difficult Heineken Cup matches with Edinburgh on successive weekends, ensuring the 21-year-old has no time for navel gazing.

His demotion after the record 42-6 defeat by South Africa could have broken a lesser man and it is heartening to hear Cipriani so upbeat after such a torrid month of rugby.

Having fought back from an horrendous broken ankle, it was always possible the outside-half would be exposed by the top Southern Hemisphere teams, but he is adamant the inner belief remains unbroken.

Cipriani, who faces Edinburgh at Murrayfield, rejoins a Wasps squad bolstered by the return of a dozen internationals who have been on Test duty. The reigning champions are third from bottom of the Premiership and need to prove their Heineken Cup credentials on Friday.

He said: "I want to get back to being me, playing with a smile on my face again. I have not been damaged and I feel uplifted and ready to get back to the form I was in last season.

"I am really excited to face Edinburgh because, with all our players back, Wasps have the potential to be right at the top.

"It is about taking what we have learned with England into the club environment. I worked really hard to get fit and have played seven games. Being allowed to step back and look at the All Blacks game from the bench was like taking a big, deep breath.

"I've tried to ignore the criticism. A lot of people make judgements about you, that's just the way it is, but there are opinions I do care about. They come from people like Shaun Edwards [Wasps head coach] and Martin Johnson [England team manager]."

Cipriani will now come under the influence of Ian McGeechan and Edwards, the hugely experienced Wasps coaching duo who need the youngster's full range of talents against Edinburgh.

They will be watching for any signs that Cipriani's confidence has been dented, although the player only has positive words for his time with Brian Smith, the England attack coach.

"Brian has opened our minds to a lot of new ideas and it's now about us putting them into play," he said.

"With England, it's key we stick with our style of play. We have shown it works but we are young team and need to work our decision making.

"The All Blacks took the chances that came along and it's important we find that kind of precision because we have the talent in the squad. Yes, we have talent and potential but it's time we stepped up and moved forward."

Felipe Contepomi, the Argentine captain, believes Cipriani will bounce back soon enough and become a major factor in England's 2011 World Cup challenge.

England will face Argentina in their World Cup pool in New Zealand but, before then, Contepomi is likely to get first-hand evidence of the outside-half's progress when the Pumas play Martin Johnson's men three times next year.

He said: "Cipriani will be at his best by the next World Cup and together with scrum-half Danny Care will be pulling the strings."