England rugby star Danny Cipriani arrived with his Gloucester team-mates for a pre-season friendly against Ulster this evening amid a row over his misconduct charge following a brawl at a Jersey nightclub.
The fly-half admitted assaulting a bouncer and injuring a policewoman while resisting arrest and was fined £2,000 at Jersey Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
His England career remains in doubt after rugby bosses charged him with ‘conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game’, which could lead to a fine or a ban if the claim is upheld.
The 30-year-old joined his team for a friendly against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday although he was dropped from the squad ahead of the pre-season fixture which Gloucester won 29-17.
Gloucester’s Danny Cipriani arrives for the pre-season friendly match at the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, just days after his conviction after a nightclub brawl in Jersey
The RFU’s move to interfere in the case angered Gloucester, whose chief executive took aim at rugby authorities saying he was ‘surprised and extremely disappointed at the charge’.
He said in a statement: ‘We do not agree with the RFU’s decision to embark upon a disciplinary process before we have concluded our own internal discussions and fail to understand the reasons for this approach.
‘We do not believe that this decision and the subsequent unnecessary public attention that will now follow it is in the best interests of either the RFU, the club, the player or the game.’
England boss Eddie Jones names his next training squad on September 20 in before selecting players for the November internationals on October 18.

The 30-year-old joined his team for a friendly against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday although he was dropped from the squad ahead of the pre-season fixture
Cipriani was held in the early hours of Wednesday morning following an altercation while on a pre-season tour of Jersey with his new club Gloucester.
The 30-year-old must pay £2,000 in fines and £250 compensation to PC Jodie Botterill.
He now faces an RFU hearing next week on a day yet to be decided.
Cipriani had exploded with rage when bouncer Joaquim Pereira tried to stop him taking a drink outside and the rugby player became verbally and physically abusive and started pushing him.
The doorman at the Little Drift bar in St Helier turned on his body camera which angered him further and he tried to rip the device off him, the court heard.

England rugby player Danny Cipriani leaves Jersey Magistrates’ Court, Saint Helier, where he pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and resisting arrest on Thursday
Police were then called but he refused to go quietly and yelled: ‘Get the f*** off me’ as he grabbed a female police officer by the collar leaving her with a bruised bicep and red marks to the neck and chin.
He then allegedly told her: ‘These wrists are gold, loosen the cuffs’.
He spent two nights in custody following his arrest at 1am on Wednesday morning until his appearance at Jersey’s Magistrates’ Court.
His lawyer Mike Preston told magistrates his client was ‘mortified’ and ‘very sorry’ for his actions, and accepts ‘he let himself down, his family down and his club down’.
In the 13-minute hearing he only spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, he pleaded guilty and received two separate fines – £1,500 for the assault and £500 for resisting arrest.


Cipriani (pictured left in a court sketch) must pay compensation to PC Jodie Botterill (right)
Cipriani also admitted to having had ‘too much to drink’ and for swearing and becoming agitated when he tried to smuggle drink into the street, the court heard.
Prosecuting, Sam Morris said he was in town with rugby friends and trouble erupted when he tried to take his drinks outside.
She said: ‘He wanted more friends to come in and picked up his drinks and tried to go outside with them.
‘The bouncer stopped him and Cipriani became verbally abusive. He pushed him and became physically abusive.
‘The doorman then activated his body camera which angered him further. He then grabs him again and tries to pull the camera off his body.
‘The bouncer contacted police officers nearby and said he wanted to make a formal complaint of assault.’

Fly-half Cipriani was arrested following the brawl at the Little Drift nightclub (pictured)
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