Cipriani’s hopes are still alive

He said: “With my Sale hat on I’d love to see him play, and 100 per cent he can change a game if you were to throw him on, more so than any other fly-half in the country”.

Lancaster is delighted to have Cipriani as an option but made it clear he would nearly certainly opt for just two No10’s in the final squad of 31.

England coach Stuart Lancaster is a renowned disciplinarian who has already dropped Manu Tuilagi and Dylan Hartley from his World Cup squad for disciplinary reasons.

“We’ve been looking closely at Fiji over that last few weeks”.

As he prepares to whittle down his wider squad to 36 players on Friday, the head coach emphasised he still had an open mind in certain positions, not least midfield where Burgess is among several candidates.

Either way, the chances of Danny Cipriani making this week’s cut have been bolstered by a further delay in the police investigation following the fly-half’s arrest on suspicion of drink-driving in June.

The 27-year-old was released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol on 1 June, following England’s 73-12 win over the Barbarians at Twickenham, which saw Cipriani score two tries in a man-of-the-match display.

May can therefore expect to avoid the squad cull scheduled for this Friday and look ahead to playing an active role in at least one of the two warm-up matches against France – the first at Twickenham on Saturday week, the second in Paris seven days later.

“If I am still around I am still around”.

Nick Easter is back training after missing the Denver trip with back trouble but Lancaster revealed another No8 – Ben Morgan – has yet to participate fully after breaking his ankle in January.

England also face Wales, Australia and Uruguay in Pool A.

Hooker Rob Webber added: “As these cuts have come and one’s obviously looming at the end of the week, people do get nervous but you have to put that to the back of your mind I suppose and keep working and trying to perform, which is what everyone’s done”.