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Danny Care and his 'big kind of annoyance' with Stuart Lancaster
Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care has shed light on his bumpy relationship with Stuart Lancaster, explaining his frustrations over team selection with the former England boss during his 2012 to 2015 stint in charge. The 35-year-old half-back earned the first of his 84 Test caps when chosen by Martin Johnson in 2008, but he went on to endure setbacks after Lancaster took over four years later.
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Care and Lancaster had previously worked with each other during their time at Leeds in the mid-noughties, but that rapport wasn’t of much assistance for the No9 when it came to making an impression under Lancaster at Test level. It was 2012 when they first had words and that frustration re-emerged at the 2015 World Cup where the only game time Care had was in the dead rubber pool match versus Uruguay after England had already been eliminated from the tournament.
Last capped under Eddie Jones in 2018, Care touched on his stint with Lancaster’s England in an in-depth interview in the latest edition of Rugby Journal. He started by recalling 2012, a time when he was a Premiership title winner with Harlequins but was behind Ben Youngs and Lee Dickson in the Test team pecking order for that summer’s tour to South Africa.
Addressing his at times rocky relationship with Lancaster, Care explained: “If I believe in something I really struggle to stay quiet and after one training session I said to Stuart, ‘Are you telling me these two are playing better than me? You can’t tell me that Dickson deserves to play ahead of me?'”
Having watched Youngs start and Dickson provide bench cover in the opening two tour defeats, Care was eventually chosen to start the drawn third Test versus the Springboks. However, there was no satisfying reprieve three years later at the World Cup when he found himself behind Youngs and Richard Wigglesworth in the squad.
“My big kind of annoyance with that was Wiggy was really good mates with (assistant coach) Andy Farrell. They were mates and went on holiday together and I remember the first two selections for Fiji and Wales and he [Lancaster] said: ‘Yeah, Faz wants to pick Wiggy’ and my response was, ‘Who is the head coach?'”
Bridges were mended a year later between the paid during a chance encounter at a Dubai hotel. “I was like, ‘Right, I’m going to speak with him. I don’t need to have bad blood with anyone’. We made friends again and I saw him not long ago when we were playing Leinster and we are alright now, but it was kind of a weird relationship we had in the past.”
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Care has since gone on to win a second Premiership title with Harlequins while Lancaster is into his sixth season as a senior coach at Leo Cullen’s Leinster.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
3 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to commentsJacobsen will definitely be in the 23
3 Go to commentsLots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
3 Go to commentsWhat a dagg in more ways than one
6 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
6 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to comments