Care glad he didn’t give up as 100th England rugby cap looms

LONDON (AFP): Danny Care said he was proud of his resilience now he’s on the cusp of becoming just the sixth England men’s rugby player to win 100 Test caps.

The Harlequins scrum-half, who made his England debut in 2008, will reach the landmark if he comes off the bench in Saturday’s Six Nations clash against Ireland at Twickenham.

But his path to the milestone has been anything but straightforward, with Care spending four years in the international wilderness after being dropped by former England boss Eddie Jones in 2018.

Care’s form with London club Harlequins led to an England recall only for the No 9 to be substituted at half-time against Australia at Sydney in 2022.

He returned, however, to the England fold under Steve Borthwick, Jones’ successor, during last year’s Six Nations and the father of three hopes his determination proves an inspiration to his children.

“As a parent you want to inspire your kids and if they can maybe have a look at my career and go ‘Dad didn’t give up, he kept trying’, then maybe there’s a message out there for them to believe in yourself and keep going,” Care told reporters at Twickenham on Friday.

“Because it would have been quite easy for me to sack it off and not want to do it any more.”

The 37-year-old added: “But I’ve always had that drive to wear the shirt again. It might be my last opportunity to wear it at Twickenham, the stadium where I’ve played at a lot of times, so I’m desperate to get out there on the weekend and have some fun.”

No player has made more than Care’s 56 international appearances as a substitute, a role he insists he relishes.

“Everyone always asks me if I get annoyed being on the bench and I genuinely don’t,” he said.

“I love that role because you’re on the pitch at the end. You have the ability to help your team win the game and you’re on the pitch for the final whistle. When you’re a starter as a nine, you very rarely play the 80 minutes these days.”