Danny Cipriani has spent much of his career surprising people, yet the speed with which he has recovered from what would have been a career-ending ankle injury not long ago has probably been his most astonishing feat yet. To paraphrase Sid Waddell, the darts commentator, his comeback must rank alongside that of Lazarus.

London Wasps this morning confirmed that Cipriani, whom Lawrence Dallaglio has called the Cristiano Ronaldo of rugby for his box-office appeal, will start at fly half in place of Jeremy Staunton against Bath tomorrow.

It is a return to arms that should guarantee a sell-out at Adams Park as the favourite son of English rugby takes to the field only four months and 13 days after suffering a fracture and dislocation of his right ankle.

"Danny has made a fantastic recovery six weeks ahead of schedule," Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, said. "His attitude has been superb and the work of the support staff at the club in ensuring this has been very impressive. We are delighted to see him back out on the pitch and hope that he is able to enjoy his return to action in front of a home crowd."

It could also set Premier Rugby Ltd and the RFU on a collision course. Understandably, Cipriani was not included in July in the elite squad for the November internationals, but by then Margot Wells, his sprint trainer, believes he will be back to his peak. In theory, changes can be made only for injury or disciplinary reasons. However, if Cipriani is firing on all cylinders, and given the close relationship that McGeechan and Martin Johnson, the England team manager, enjoy, it seems inconceivable that special dispensation would not be granted and room found for the 20-year-old.

“I just need and want to play well for Wasps,” Cipriani said. “I can't wait to get on the field to play rugby. I am just going to be so excited when my name is called before the game. That's when it is going to hit home. It doesn't feel in my head like I have had a major injury. I have just had a bit of time away from the game and had a chance to do some things differently.”

He banished any lingering demons when taking full contact for the first time last week, from which he has shown no adverse reaction. All that is missing is match fitness, which time on the training field cannot produce.

McGeechan described Cipriani's recovery as “quite incredible”. “He would not be at this point if he was not ultra-dedicated,” the Scot said. “All we can be and he can be is confident in the state he is in. He is ready to go.”

That Cipriani is six weeks ahead of schedule in returning is testament to his iron will and focus as well as first-class medical support. He has worked tirelessly on his rehabilitation, often until late in the evening with extra specialist physiotherapy sessions.

Despite the public perception of him as a high-living man about town, Cipriani says that the reality is different and he would not change his approach to rugby or life. He argues that the only difference between him and his team-mates who go to restaurants, pubs and clubs is that they are not followed by the paparazzi. But then they are not going out with Kelly Brook, the model and actress. It is that individuality, his desire to try things and not be fazed by the thought of failure, that makes Cipriani such a special talent.

McGeechan reiterated that he believed the decision by Brian Ashton, the England head coach at the time, to drop Cipriani during the RBS Six Nations Championship in March after the player was photographed leaving a nightclub was an overreaction and showed a lack of understanding about what made him tick. “It was not handled as well as it should have been,” McGeechan said. “If he'd been leaving the Opera House would it have been the same problem?”

Behind the champagne image of Cipriani lies a virtual teetotaller. He realised the negative impact alcohol had on his body after Wasps won away to Castres in the Heineken Cup in January last year. He suffered a slight ankle strain in the game. “I had a few drinks with the boys and in the morning the ankle had swollen up even more,” he said. “So I stay away from alcohol as much as I can.”

But if spreading the rugby gospel involves James Bond-style magazine photo-shoots with a trio of gorgeous girls draped around him, as it did at the weekend, then so be it. “I can understand where the label comes from,” he said. “I don't find it irritating. It was a different type of shoot, trying to show there can be a different side to rugby. I am not trying to get portrayed in any sort of way, just trying to be me.” As Shaun Edwards, the Wasps head coach, put it: “Lucky bastard.”