DANNY CARE

The evergreen England scrum-half's rollercoaster Test career is heading for the World Cup in France

- Josh Graham

WHEN YOU’VE had as many ups and downs in an international career as Danny Care, you need to have faith in the big picture. Luckily, therefore, the 36-year-old has the phrase ‘Everything happens for a reason’ inked onto his arm. A permanent reminder of the mantra he abides by.

“I do agree with it and I know a lot of people don’t,” Care explains. “I think everything you go through comes around for a reason. It’s never just a positive thing all the time. There’s a lot of ups and downs to get to where you’re at.”

The Leeds lad first wore the red rose as an U16 before winning a sevens silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Two years later, he made his senior 15s debut in a defeat away to New Zealand. The very next week he scored his first try. It was a fast ride to the top but there were plenty of twists and turns in store.

The decade between 2008 and 2018 brought 84 caps and made him England’s second-most capped scrum-half ever, but just 38 of those were starts. The majority of the time Care had to make do with playing second fiddle. This was largely before the infamous ‘finishers’ was coined by Eddie Jones.

Martin Johnson told him he was in the squad for the 2011 World Cup but a big toe injury meant Care never set foot on the plane. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, but there was little consolation in being third choice at home in 2015. His only World Cup appearance to date, against Uruguay, came after Stuart Lancaster’s men had been humiliatingly dumped out of their own tournament.