Care, 36, knows he has not got another World Cup in him and others like Courtney Lawes, Jonny May and Ben Youngs could be at their final tournament.
The scrum-half has had horrendous luck in global competitions missing 2011 with injury, being a bit-part player as England bombed out in 2015 and missing out altogether four years.
This afternoon in Marseille he will be playing his first knockout game for England and knows if they flunk the quarter-final it could be curtains for his international career.
And Care insists they must take their chances in the south of France or they will be back at their clubs on Monday.
He said: “It’s the chance of a lifetime. The dream then is the semi-final and the final. And if we’re slightly off it, then we will be going home.
“That’s the stark reality of it. For someone like me, you know this could be the last time I put on an England shirt. So I’m going to give it my all.
This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the October 15, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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