Danny Care is chomping at the bit after being rested by Eddie Jones and England

Refreshed | Danny Care sports Harlequins’ new kit in training ahead of the new Premiership season
Getty Images for Harlequins FC
Will Macpherson6 July 2018

It is little surprise that Danny Care, by his own admission, is a bad watcher and this has been a summer of frustration. “I think I’ve been driving my wife Jodie mad!” he says, having clearly been bouncing off the walls, desperate to play.

Summer started three weeks earlier than he would have liked, with Harlequins’ dismal second half of the season meaning that, for the fourth successive season, they watched on as others contested the Premiership play-offs. “There’s nothing worse,” says Care, “than your season finishing earlier than others because they have been that much better than you.”

That bitter taste was strengthened by the obvious, embarrassing displeasure of Quins’ fans at how their season ended and the resulting departure of John Kingston after 17 years, two as director of rugby. By the time Saracens had won the Premiership, Paul Gustard had been appointed to replace Kingston, but rather than joining his new boss on England’s tour of South Africa, Care was on a beach in Mauritius with his wife and son.

Eddie Jones decided that Care, England’s most-capped scrum-half, was one of a few senior players best served missing that tour. What is clear is that it was a decision made for Care not with him, and one that he has had to grow to agree with. Next year’s World Cup informs that acceptance. “I met up with Eddie, he told me he’d be resting me,” he says. “I was disappointed but I understand it. As a player, you want to play all the time. You don’t want to miss an opportunity to pull on that shirt because you never know which one will be your last. It was tough to watch, because I was desperate to be out there helping.

“It’s about the bigger picture. I understand his thinking and I think it has done what he said it would. It’s hard to see that at the time, but someone with Eddie’s experience knows how to get the best out of people and, hopefully, after a summer off, focusing on myself and my family, not rugby, will help.

“That bit between your teeth gets that little bit stronger to force my way back into the squad in the autumn ahead of 2019, which is a massive year.

“I was sad the boys didn’t go as well as they wanted [losing the series 2-1 in South Africa]. It was great to see us get the win in the last Test, but there’s lots of work to do in the autumn. People were underestimating the Springboks. They are a good team and it’s a tough place to win. Not many teams have won there but we dug in and found a way.”

By the First Test, Care was back from his holiday and Quins’ pre-season started the Monday after, with Gustard officially joining them this week.

Care believes the horror run that saw them dive to 10th after losing their last five games and nine of their 10 in 2018 is already behind them. He admits “the wheels came off a bit”, but says Gustard’s arrival has shaken the squad.

“Pre-season is tough, we are working seriously hard,” he says. “It’s a step up from the last couple of seasons, a new vibe, a new dawn for Quins.

“Guzzy’s here now, and from the guys like myself who’ve been here a long time to the guys coming in, everyone wants to make a big impression. We’ve gone back to square one, trying to impress the new boss. His level of detail is exceptional, he knows the game inside and out. He’s made to be a head coach and to lead a team.”

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