The notion of parallel universes could have been invented for Danny Cipriani. He could have been a batsman with Surrey. He could have accepted a contract to become a striker with Reading. He could have refused to apologise for being spotted at a nightclub three nights before England’s RBS Six Nations Championship match against Scotland. But he did make an apology; a gracious and humble apology. He accepted the punishment of being dropped from the squad and the rest is history.

Cipriani’s dashing performance against Ireland lifted spirits among England rugby fans, who ought to be rubbing their hands in glee that the London Wasps fly half chose to be contrite when he could have been justifiably stroppy. After all, no one seems sure what curfew rule he was supposed to have broken.

“I’m not sure either,” he says. “There may well be a rule, but I feel either way, whether I broke a rule or not, Brian [Ashton, the England head coach] was trying to teach me a lesson and that’s what he did. It’s a lesson that’s taught me I have to be wary about things along those lines. I need to make sure I don’t step out of line again, if that’s what he felt I was doing.”

Is there not a contradiction, given that Cipriani is valued for his free spirit on the field, in trying to curb his freedom in his spare time? “I do agree with what you’re saying there,” he says. “Maybe I should just do it in a hidden environment. In future I’ll be more discreet.”

There is little doubt that Cipriani handled his punishment well and endeared himself to the nation. “I’m going to apologise because I missed out playing for England and that was my dream,” he says. “I could be sitting here with four caps, but instead it’s three because I made a mistake in the coach’s eyes and I don’t want that to happen again.”

Still, is there not a danger that he will have to forgo all the fun that 20-year-olds are supposed to have? “I don’t think it will spoil my youth,” he says. “I’m doing something I love. It’s not going to stop me massively from doing it [having fun]. I am aware that if I go and get pictured, I can get labelled a playboy and that’s not the case; I’ll be out with my friends just having a chill-out. I’ve got to be wary of it and that’s what my mum’s most worried about – things going wrong and getting written about.

“For instance, I’d like to clear up again that I never went out with one of the Cheeky Girls. It was just a picture I had taken with her, but people seem to believe I went out with her.” Which Cheeky Girl didn’t he go out with? “Um, Monica.”

Cipriani mentions his mum, Anne, a black-cab driver, a good deal. “She is driving at the minute,” he says. “I’d like her to stop one day so I can give her a life of luxury; that’s the plan, one day, hopefully. I don’t think she enjoys driving that much because she’s had to work very long hours, but she does not work such long hours as she used to, so it’s a bit better for her.”

Ever wondered why Cipriani wears a scrum cap? It is because his mum wants him to. Is that to protect his looks or his brain? “My brain, probably,” he says.

Cipriani’s parents separated when he was very young and Jay, his father, moved to Shepherd’s Bush, West London, where Cipriani would visit him at weekends and they would spend all their time involved in sport. “We’d go to tournaments and games and it probably was a way of us communicating, but I’ve always got on well with my dad, so it’s cool,” he says.

Jay now lives in Tobago and has yet to see his son play for his country, but Cipriani is hoping that he will travel to New Zealand for England’s summer tour. It is perplexing to sit opposite Cipriani as he speaks of his West Indian heritage, because he is white. “My mother’s white, but my dad’s black,” he says. “I know I don’t look black. My dad’s father was mixed race and I think that’s the reason why.”

When I tell Cipriani that he reminds me of Dan Carter, the All Blacks fly half, he says “thank you” very clearly and deliberately, the way people who are complimented all the time have learnt to say it. He is only 20, but he has had years of praise and knowing that he is a talented sportsman. Reading were interested in his record of 32 goals in 21 games at Reading Oratory School and asked him to sign forms.

“I thought about it a lot, but two of my best friends were going to Whitgift, so I went there to be with them and play rugby,” he says. “If I’m going to spend 15 years in a job, I want to have that love and passion. I did love football a lot, but rugby is the ultimate team game. When you go on to the team bus afterwards you know that people have played a hard team game for you. There’s that camaraderie about rugby that I really enjoy.”

Even so, Cipriani plays at fly half, rugby’s glamour role. “If you lose a game, it’s the role that often gets the finger pointed at it, so there’s two sides to it,” he says. “It’s not the reason I chose to play fly half, it’s just in that position you call moves and control some things. I would like to know if I had played football or cricket what would have happened, but I’m really enjoying my life. If there were parallel universes I’d be interested to look, but I’m happy with the choice I made.”

Cipriani plays for London Wasps against Leicester in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final in Cardiff tomorrow. Tickets are available for the final at Twickenham on April 12.

Visit edfenergyrugby.com or phone 0870 902 0000 for information.

Kid from fame

— Cipriani is yet to discover the roots of his Italian name, but “people are starting to pronounce it better.”

— He might not have inherited his pace and co-ordination from his parents. “My mum says it’s her because she used to play hockey and netball, but I don’t know about that.”

— Cipriani has usurped Jonny Wilkinson. “I’m sure people are upset about that; how could they not be? Jonny changed the face of rugby. He is such an icon.”

— He can handle the sudden fame. “It’s promoting rugby, so I’m happy to do it.”

— Cipriani would have become a stockbroker if he had been no good at sport. “My mum wanted me to be a doctor, but I can’t deal with blood and guts and gore, so that’s not me.”