'Why was Danny Cipriani allowed to leave this club?'

Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards has questioned how Danny Cipriani was allowed to leave Wasps at the end of last season.

Edwards – a former headcoach at Wasps – questioned the logic that led to Wasps letting the England star move to Gloucester, where he is currently enjoying rave reviews for his on-field performances.

“You know you don’t get recruitment right all time and everybody make mistakes for sure. How could Wasps let Danny Cipriani leave?” Edwards told BT’s Rugby Tonight panel.

‘How could they let him leave? If you’re going to coach at elite level and win championships, you have to have championship players and often they’re a bit different.”

The former Wigan Rugby League legend likened Cipriani to Jonny Sexton.

“Johnny Sexton; an ultra-competitive person, demands the best of everybody. He’s probably sometimes he’s a little bit harder to be around in the build-up but you have to be able to handle them players.

“To me the Wasps people, they must be scratching their heads where Danny was allowed to leave.”

“All I’m saying is the Wasps fans must be scratching their heads, thinking: ‘Why was Danny Cipriani allowed to leave this club?'”

Yesterday it was revealed that Cipriani has been ruled out for up to six weeks after sustaining a chest injury during Gloucester’s European Rugby Champions Cup defeat to Exeter Chiefs.

The pivot’s hopes of forcing his way back into the England squad suffered a blow when he did damage late in the first half of the clash at Kingsholm last Friday.

Cipriani sustained a “small” tear to a muscle in his chest and could be sidelined until late next month, so Owen Williams is set to get his chance at number 10.