Speculation had been rife that the England fly half was weighing up a move away from Wasps although a number of pundits and experts believed Cipriani would not leave England.

But that is now not the case and one of rugby's biggest emerging stars will be leaving Adams Park at the end of the current campaign to join Melbourne Rebels.

A product of the hugely successful London Wasps Academy, Cipriani has developed through the club's ranks to establish himself on both the domestic and international stage, gaining seven England representative caps.

Accoridng to a statement released this morning, Cipriani leaves with Wasps' understanding and support and is said to have 'worked closely with Wasps coaching team in reaching a decision'.

A club spokesman said the move allows the 22-year-old fly half to broaden his rugby experiences in new realms. However, he has already made clear his ambition to return to England in the future and a return to Wasps down the line has already been discussed and is something welcomed by director of rugby Tony Hanks and head coach Shaun Edwards.

On the news Hanks admitted: "Obviously we are disappointed that Danny is leaving, especially as he has worked hard on a return to form on the back of a couple of nasty injuries.

"However, knowing his reasons are based on rugby and personal development, we as a club support his decision.

"Working with him for the last few weeks around this decision, we have looked at it more as a Wasp going on a sabbatical and, whilst nothing is guaranteed, Danny has expressed a desire to return to the club later down the line.

"Wasps has been a big part of his life, especially in terms of his development in the last six or seven years, and not many players get to experience another competition or another culture at only 22.

"From a Club perspective it is obviously disappointing for the fans, that they won't get to see Danny playing at Adams Park, but I am sure that they will follow his progress in Australia with a lot of interest.

"The news of Wasps departures has obviously dominated, with Sackey and now Cipriani, but we owe it to guys like these who have served the club well before we move to the announcements about new players joining the squad. We have some very positive recruitment underway behind the scenes and there is a very positive feeling at the club."

Cipriani himself hinted a renewed push to gain and ultimately hold on to an England place was a key factor in his move. "Leaving Wasps is very hard – this is my home, I have played here since I was 15. It is a very special club because of what it has achieved and the people who are a part of it," he said in a statement.

"I see this move as the next step in my career and would never rule out coming back to play in England. If I did, the first place I would look at is Wasps and we have already talked about that as a possibility for the future. I believe in the coaches and the players here and it will be very difficult to leave, but the decision has been made easier by having the support of Tony (Hanks) and Shaun (Edwards).

"Moving to Australia will be a new challenge. I have always admired the Super 14 as a tournament and the first team I ever followed was Wellington. I used to wake up and watch Christian Cullen and it was something I had always thought about. I think the opportunity of playing in a completely different tournament against different players at this time in my career will help me develop on and off the field.

"I have been given no indication that I am pushing for a place with England at the moment so it is up to me to ensure I am in contention in the future by challenging myself in new realms.

"I have some of the best coaches and players in the game around me at Wasps, which is why it has been so hard to make my decision, but I am still young enough to go away and experience something completely different. I want to be the best player I can be and this is a huge challenge and opportunity to test myself, on and off the pitch, because it will be changing everything I know."

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