Rod Macqueen welcomes Cipriani to Melbourne - sadly no. The headline-grabbing fly-half poses with designer Giorgio Armani in London earlier this month © Getty Images

'Coming Soon' promises Danny Cipriani's website - an apparent work-in-progress that goes a long way to summing up the elusive 22-year-old's current status in the game.

The England outcast took a major gamble earlier this year by opting for a move to Australia as the first and arguably most high-profile signing by expansion side the Melbourne Rebels. The trouble is he has yet to clock in with his new employers while his team-mates have already knuckled down to the rigours of pre-season and the equally important task of fostering new links with the community and sponsors in a region previously untouched by Super Rugby.

The trouble with Cipriani is exactly that - trouble appears to be plaguing his bid to return to the top of the game. His undoubted talent laid the foundation for his rapid rise to prominence but his reported attitude has seen him make as many enemies as fans in that time - most notably within the England management.

If he intends to use his stint in Australia as the springboard back into the international set-up then it would make sense to have the Rebels on-side but Cipriani is seemingly intent on burning bridges before they have been built with coach Rod Macqueen and his new team-mates.

Cipriani's continued dalliance with football had his coach fielding calls on the player's commitment to the Rebels earlier this summer and heightened speculation that he wanted out of his reported £175,000 (A$300,000) a season contract. But having explained that one away - at least twice - his pre-season no-show will have had Macqueen reaching for the Nurofen again. And let us not forget the rest of the Rebels - forced to watch this circus while sweating out the excesses of the off-season and glad-handing for the corporate dollar.

Cipriani strikes you as an intelligent man and his public school education would suggest that so it makes you wonder why he failed to complete his visa application in the six months between the announcement of his move in February and the start of pre-season in October. But let's him the benefit of the doubt and assume he has been a little busy and the break-up of a long-term relationship can spark some erratic behaviour. The focus then falls on his management - the Sports PR Company - but perhaps they are finding the player equally elusive? Either way someone has dropped the ball and it has landed in the brown stuff.

Cipriani may have been out of action since injury curtailed his final season with Premiership side Wasps earlier this year but he has hardly been out of the public eye since be it London Fashion Week or on the arm of his now ex-girlfriend Kelly Brook. A quick search through the archives of our photo supplier Getty Images emphasises this fact with the 50+ pictures from the Cipriani social calendar that appear before we see him in rugby kit leaving you wondering what it is he is famous for.

But the wait is over. He is due to arrive in Australia today but if he thought playing his trade on the other side of the world would save him from the media spotlight think again. The media pack may not be present at the impressive AAMI Stadium for his debut next year with their focus on an all-important Six Nations but rest assured they will ensure that their Sky Sports subscriptions are up-to-date.

Before then we can expect Cipriani to still hit the headlines thanks to stories like this recent broadside aimed at the Rugby Football Union and the faith of others - like Jonny Wilkinson.

Even if Cipriani tears up the Super Rugby stage it is highly unlikely that he will force his way back into the international reckoning unless England manager Martin Johnson has a major change of heart - such is the frosty nature of their relationship. And if Cipriani is serious about making amends he needs the support of those around him at his new home which makes his behaviour all the more baffling. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot.

"We have stressed that this new team is not about individuals and opportunities for individuals," stressed Macqueen this week following a team-bonding session. "It is about a cohesive squad performing together. When the team is successful they will be successful. The players grasped the concept and the team ethos we wanted to create and have now taken ownership of it."

Sadly, Cipriani was not present. Let's hope he got the memo.

Maybe he likes it this way and thrives on the chance to prove himself when others are all too keen to write him off? But he should remember that this is a team game and reaching that goal will be a lot easier with a little help. Let's hope his work ethic and commitment to the Rebels' cause leaves them in no doubt from this moment on as no-one likes to see a talent such as his sit idle.