IT'S CARE FREE

Scrum-half lucky to avoid red in 10-try helter-skelter game

- ADAM HATHAWAY

Harlequins 41

Northampton 32

HARLEQUINS coach Danny Wilson admitted Danny Care dodged a red card as his side kept their play-off hopes alive.

A crazy game of 10 tries and three yellow cards, all for the Londoners, ended with Northampton still top and odds-on for the play-offs and Quins level on points with fourth-placed Bristol in fifth.

But Quins were fortunate not to lose scrum-half Care (below) to a red card when he escaped a stone-cold second yellow.

Care took out opposite number Alex Mitchell at a ruck with Saints on the attack and should have been in the bin.

His first-half yellow for a head-on-head clash with Courtney Lawes would have made that an automatic red and he was replaced immediately afterwards.