England have omitted Danny Cipriani from their World Cup squad.
Cipriani mounted a late challenge for inclusion in the 31-man party that will be announced on Thursday lunchtime, but has found his path blocked at fly-half and full-back.
The 27-year-old’s exclusion comes despite inspiring England’s fightback in the 25-20 defeat by France in Paris on Saturday with a dynamic final-quarter cameo from the bench.
Cipriani was voted man of the match by supporters after scoring a try at the Stade de France and could have done little more to advance his case for selection.
However, he was behind Mike Brown and Alex Goode in the full-back hierarchy and trailed George Ford and Owen Farrell at fly-half and has not done enough to convince head coach Stuart Lancaster.
Before news of his omission emerged, Cipriani thanked fans for their support during his challenge for a place at England 2015.
“Can’t tell you how much the support means to me,” Cipriani said on his official Facebook page on Wednesday morning.
“We all go through our journey in life and learn lessons. I know I’ve made mistakes some criticised rightly or wrongly. Just a quick thanx to all the nice messages. Really appreciate it.”
When asked he was in the squad, Cipriani said: “Won’t find out till this evening/tomorrow morning. Just a message to say thank you for the support.”