Danny Care: 'My old man texted I've played at Twickenham 90 times'
It’s a throwaway line often used in sport, that a player who has frequented a particular ground over several years must know every blade of grass.
In the case of the hallowed turf of Twickenham Stadium, other than former long-standing RFU groundsman Keith Kent, no one knows what it feels like to step onto the pristine-like surface more than Danny Care.
The veteran scrum-half has played as a schoolboy there, for Otley’s Prince Henry’s, for England in 7s and 15s, and of course, for his club Harlequins whenever they take their showcase matches there.
“My first game at Twickenham was actually with school, we played in the Daily Mail Vase final. I played fly-half, which was awesome, and we won it,” recalled the now 37-year-old.
“I’ll never forget running out as a kid with tears in my eyes thinking, ‘This is class, this is cool, I’d love to do this more often’. My old man texted me this week; he reckons I have played at Twickenham 90 times; he reckons this is my 90th. He knows everything, he’s a nause.
“Has anyone played more at Twickenham; I don’t know? I’d love to know that. It’s been a few times, but it is the most special stadium in the world. I’m very lucky I have got to play there 90 times and, hopefully, I get to play there a few more.”
Care’s father would appear to be spot on with his numbers. Renowned rugby statistician Stuart Farmer has Care down for 86 senior games at Twickenham, including 7s, five more than fellow scrum-half and caps centurion Ben Youngs, and 10 more than former England captain Owen Farrell.
Care made his international debut at English rugby HQ in May 2007, playing alongside the likes of Ben Foden and current GB head coach Tony Roques, for England 7s against Portugal on the HSBC World Series.
His senior England 15s debut at Twickenham came three caps into his Test career, against the Pacific Islanders in November 2008 – the same year that Harlequins launched their Big Game concept, which is now in its 15th iteration. Care started the 26-26 draw against Leicester, an edge-of-your-seat contest that set the tone for future matches there.
Not content with just one showcase game per year, innovative Harlequins are also three games into the ‘Big Summer Kick-off’ series, with this Saturday’s crunch match against Premiership leaders Northampton the latest match to cross the A306 and be played at ‘The Big Stoop’.
Harlequins have a 75 per cent win record at the famous rugby arena and Care, who is on the eve of his 280th Premiership appearance, claimed that playing there always lifts his team.
“It’s amazing we get to do it in club form. We are the only club that gets to walk from our ground to the home of rugby, Twickenham, and it is never lost on the players that the fans come over and give us that guard of honour, it is an incredible feeling.
“Something happens to us at a club whenever we get to play over there, we love doing it. I am very proud of being from this club that has pioneered the way of taking games to big stadiums and seems to keep doing it and try and do it bigger and better.
It's always magic from Marcus Smith at Twickenham ?@Harlequins return to the Big Stoop for #BigSummerKickOff against Northampton Saints on Saturday ?#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/XAw7uXCnhn
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) April 24, 2024
“It is our job as players to showcase that and try and show our stuff on the pitch, so we want to have some fireworks on it as well.”
With free-flowing Saints in town and play-off contenders Harlequins renowned for their thrilling brand of rugby, the Saturday afternoon match-up promises to be an absolute belter. Care’s duel with England colleague Alex Mitchell will be worth the ticket price alone.
“He’s a brilliant rugby player, he has really taken his opportunities in the last year to make that England No9 shirt his own,” he said of Mitchell. “In a way I kind of feel like an older brother, I feel quite proud of him with what he has done – to bounce back from being sent home from the England World Cup training squad and be out of the three (scrum-halves) and steam past us all.
“He took it and ran with it, and made it (the No.9 shirt) his own, so we are very aware of him, the threat that he poses; he is the heartbeat of that team, and he has been for the last few years, so we will have to defend very well to stop him and Fin (Smith), they have got a brilliant little combination going there, so ‘D’ is going to be big for us this weekend.”
Thank you @EnglandRugby ?? pic.twitter.com/rs15whn4AV
— Danny Care (@dannycare) March 25, 2024
Comments on RugbyPass
RIP big man 🙏
1 Go to commentsThe GB coach. “Just because we don’t get together as much as other teams we don’t use that as an excuse for performances when we don’t hit the mark”. Why mention it at all then?
1 Go to commentsNo mention of the yellow card for Harlequins which really cost them.
3 Go to commentsThought you’d left us Nick. Good to have you back writing for us. So hunter ikitau works? I reckon wright kellaway as two of the back 3. Tim Ryan and Toole looking good for strike winger but I still want the power of korobeiti and figure our forwards still need him to help them out. Million dollar question is who plays 10? I’m thinking Noah for his kicking and combo with wright. Reckon the pair adds up to an attack and kellaway will help. Can you comment on Zac Lucas in Japan? How is he going?
1 Go to commentsMack Hansen, Ethan Roots, Taine Plumbtree, Louis Lynagh, Emmanuel Meafou? Which country do you want to pick your Barbarians from?
3 Go to commentsInstead of apologising, try to act like an adult, fcknut.
3 Go to commentsLooks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
5 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
3 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
3 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
8 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
3 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
3 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
3 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
5 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
5 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
5 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
16 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
16 Go to comments