After a difficult few months in his increasingly high-profile life, Danny Cipriani has a smile on his face at last, which will be welcome news for London Wasps and England. The fly half said yesterday that, having suffered a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle in May and indifferent form since his comeback in October, he was beginning to enjoy his rugby again, a state of mind that he hopes will be brought to bear in his club’s Heineken Cup pool match against Leinster at Twickenham on Saturday. If Wasps lose, they are effectively out. The stakes could not be higher.

“It is not if, it is when it is going to happen,” Cipriani, 21, said when asked if he would recapture his old sparkle. “I am feeling much better within myself. I am enjoying my training, enjoying being out there with the guys trying to solve different puzzles. It will be an exciting match on the hallowed turf. Every game now is do or die.”

Cipriani is perhaps more circumspect after experiencing negative publicity but denies that his confidence has taken a knock. He conceded, though, that some pressure was lifted in England’s final international of November, against the All Blacks, for which he was demoted from the starting XV. “Everything was eased off my shoulders when I was on the bench, it felt like I could relax,” he said.

He turned to Shaun Edwards, the Wasps head coach, when he realised that the buzz he used to feel was still missing. “I thought to myself, ‘I am back playing but I haven’t got that urgency and buzz,’ ” Cipriani said. “I have been talking to Shaun to make sure I have that emotion.”

Wasps have worked on what Edwards called exit strategies to ensure that charge-downs of kicks are eliminated. Cipriani has not been the only culprit but he refused to blame anyone but himself for a flaw that has been magnified of late. “This is something I have to rectify,” he said. “It is not too major in my head but it is something I will change this weekend.”

The team have practised drills and Cipriani has worked on end-over-end and spiral punts to see which works best in each situation. “It’s about being in the right position to clear the ball,” he said. “If people target me, it will hopefully open up space for others.”

Had his outlook changed, having become front and back-page news? “You have to be guarded,” Cipriani said. “But it is not going to change me. It would be nice if I didn’t have a camera in my face when I get a parking ticket but there is nothing I can do about it.”

The subject of contract negotiations, with several key players’ deals expiring at the end of the season, was off limits yesterday. But speculation continues to surround Cipriani’s position, as well as those of James Haskell, the back-row forward, and Dave Walder, the fly half, among others. The latter is a target for Cardiff Blues, while Haskell is interesting the Ospreys.

The issue of players’ contracts will inform tomorrow’s meeting near Warwick of the Guinness Premiership club owners and shareholders, who need to agree a package of measures designed as a buffer against the economic downturn. Assuming that they reach a consensus, it must be ratified at the next board meeting of Premier Rugby Ltd (PRL) a week today.

“If any of us had known a credit crunch was coming, the salary cap would not have gone up,” Nigel Wray, the Saracens chairman, said.

Last year’s agreement, operational until the end of next season, raised the cap to £4.2 million and one suggestion is that it should be reduced to £3.8 million, even though club budgets and contracts have been agreed for the higher level. “My view is that a reduction of the salary cap is essential,” Wray said. “It’s quite likely that a number of sporting clubs will go bust. We need to find some balance.”

Mark McCafferty, the PRL chief executive, will outline the options. “We are operating in a different environment to six or 12 months ago,” McCafferty said. “However, we have to be confident in our sport, the competitions and their ability to grow. The most important thing is we keep investing in what goes on on the pitch.”

Saracens may seek an extra scrum half after losing Neil de Kock for up to three months with a broken arm, and Michael Owen, their Wales No 8, has had a knee reconstruction and will miss the rest of the season.