Danny Cipriani & The No Dickheads Policy
In his book, ‘Legacy’, James Kerr explores the organisational values that underpinned the All Blacks’ transition from perennial chokers, to Rugby World Cup winners in 2011. Kerr observed that a mantra of ‘better men make better All Blacks’ ran to the core of All Black culture. The successful Sydney Swans AFL team of the mid noughties had a similar ethos, but worded it with a forthright Aussie simplicity, ‘no dickheads’. The All Blacks’ management liked it, swiped it (with permission) and embedded it into their own organisation. In his search to emulate the success of Graham Henry and Steve Hanson, Eddie Jones has himself made it clear that character is of equal prevalence to ability in his selection criteria. It is perhaps simplistic to sight Jones’ own take on ‘no dickheads’, as the sole justification for the repeat omission of Danny Cipriani from Eddie’s squads to this point. The control provided by the Ford/Farrell axis has been at the fore of England’s success, and J