England rugby star Danny Cipriani was "shocked" to discover he was over the drink-drive limit despite downing two espresso martinis and a glass of champagne less than an hour earlier, a court heard.

The fly-half was alleged to have had "glazed eyes" and smelt of alcohol when he was arrested in Imperial Road, Fulham, shortly after 5am on June 1 last year, Westminster Magistrates Court was told.

His arrest came after his Mercedes had collided with a taxi , the court heard.

Cipriani, then of Sale Sharks but now of Wasps, was breathalysed and found to have 67 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

This measurement, the court heard, is nearly twice the drink-drive limit in England and Wales of 35 micrograms.

'Breakfast at 4am'

The 28-year-old admitted he had been out drinking and eating sushi with other players at Eight Over Eight, in Cheslea, following England's win over Barbarians.

But he said he felt "fine" and was not drunk, despite admitting that he continued drinking with a breakfast at 4am.

The court heard he had two espresso martinis and a vodka cranberry at dinner, between 8.30pm and midnight.

He was then quizzed on whether the meal had lined his stomach, to which he replied: "Well, we had a lot of rice, some dim sum. I eat a fair bit. We probably had double orders on what we were having".

The court heard that Cipriani then went to a club for around half an hour before he went to a friend's house - before leaving at 4am to have breakfast.

'I felt alright'

He said: "I had three hours sleep, I woke up and I felt alright".

Cirpriani then had a fry up, a "small champagne flute" and two espresso martinis within 45 minutes before jumping in a cab to his car, the court heard.

He was described as looking "crestfallen" when he was arrested at 5.15am in Imperial Road, Fulham.

The court heard that Cipriani accused taxi driver taxi driver Muhammad Qasim of hitting his car, which was written off as a result of the collision.

And Cipriani was said to be "slurring" and driving at speed before the crash, but he denied speeding and told the court: "I was not drunk, I felt fine".

'Shocked'

When asked by prosecutor Katie Weiss how he felt about the positive results of his drink drive test, the defendant responded: "I was shocked at the fact that it was over".

And when also quizzed on the impact a potential conviction could have on his playing career, he said: "It would be difficult to get to training for me, to be working every day and obviously the fact that you got caught with a drink-drive case".

The prosecutor then asked if it would stop him playing for his country, to which he responded: "Depends on the coach".

When quizzed on whether a potential conviction would jeopardise any celebrity endorsements, Cipriani said it "depends on the brand".

The defendant, from Raynes Park in south west London and wearing a grey suit, denies drink driving.

The court also heard, from Phillip Lucas, defending, that Cipriani had been cautioned in 2006 for carrying an egg with "intent to damage or destroy property".

Cipriani's team mate, Christian Wade, provided a statement, which was read out in court, saying the defendant did not appear to be drunk.

He added: "I know Danny well and he did not seem drunk to me at all. If he had, I would have called him a cab."

Senior District Judge Howard Riddle reserved judgment until June 24 at 10am, telling Cipriani: "I really have got to think about this. That is why I can't give you an answer today - I regret that."