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Cipriani and Hayman staying put

Wednesday 03rd December 2008

Carl Hayman: Staying put

England fly-half Danny Cipriani has expressed his desire to remain at Wasps as the club enters a new future under the ownership of business tycoon Steve Hayes, and Newcastle kingpin Carl Hayman has done the same in a similar situation on Tyneside.

Cipriani and England colleague James Haskell are among a number of Wasps players whose contracts expire at the end of the current season.

The signatures of both players would be prize captures for Wasps' big-spending rivals in the Guinness Premiership and in France, where the Top 14 clubs are not subject to a salary cap.

Hayes, who is also managing director of League Two club Wycombe Wanderers - with whom Wasps share a ground - confirmed that finalising new contracts for the club's big-name stars is now his main priority.

Cipriani is keen to stay but he wants assurances that Wasps plan on keeping the current squad together.

"I would like to stay at Wasps and have my future here," he said.

"I've just got to know about the players who are going to stay around as well.

"You want to make sure that you have all the young players and you have all the talented players coming through together and staying on.

"I think Steve is going to try and get all the contracts done as a whole team. Everyone has got that bit of uncertainty above their heads so it's good that everyone knows where they are going.

"Wasps is such a great club. Ideally, I would like to stay at Wasps and get the whole structure in place and get everything right.

"It is a unique place with the values to win. There are some of the best coaches in the world here and their winning mentality rubs off on the younger players.

"I have been here for two seasons now and we have won two trophies. Winning trophies is what it is all about. It is the best feeling.

"The key is to keep this squad together that has been successful."

Hayman did not go on ther record himself, but a club spokesman said that the rumours he was preparing to up sticks at the end of this season were patently untrue.

"He has recently been in New Zealand attending to personal matter, but is now back at Kingston Park continuing with his rehab on a knee injury," he said.

Hayman is getting married in New Zealand in January.

Newcastle had been facing an uncertain financial future, but club Chairman Dave Thompson has re-committed himself to the club for the foreseeable future, and the club's Kingston Park rugby ground has been bought by Northumbria University which is looking to work with the club in creating Britain's first rugby-based Centre of Sporting Excellence at the ground.