'He's like a social glue player': Why Danny Care is back to his best aged 34 and winning individual awards with Harlequins
It was like old times the other day at Harlequins with Danny Care being named the Gallagher Premiership player of the month for March. The scrum-half used to be a regular contender for such accolades and while his form dipped in recent years, he is now back at the top of his game at the ripe veteran age of 34.
Similar to the rejuvenation seen in Mike Brown, the resurgence of Care in recent months has been pivotal in the rise of Harlequins back up the Premiership table and into the playoff positions with seven rounds matches remaining.
The scrum-half hasn’t been capped since November 2018 but such has been his current rich vein of form that he has even been speculated as an outside contender for Lions tour selection. While that might be a leap for a player who hasn’t featured at Test level in 29 months, Harlequins are revelling in the form Care is showing and were delighted when he extended his contract in January just days after Paul Gustard departed as director of rugby.
With a home game versus Worcester their next assignment as they hunt down a league semi-final appearance, Harlequins assistant Jerry Flannery has lauded the behind the scenes work that has gone a long way in ensuring that 30-something players such as Care are in fantastic form heading into the business end of the 2020/21 season.
“I don’t have a point of reference as to what he was like when he was younger but I will say that the S&C and the medical here are very, very careful here about making sure that we keep the best players available all the time,” explained Flannery, who joined the London club last summer after starting his post-playing coaching career at Munster.
Gatland's new staff have got straight down to business, identifying 57 potential picks for the likely 36-strong Lions squad https://t.co/4685z9NiO3
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“When you look at the way Brownie has been performing for us and you look at the way Danny has been performing, they are getting the balance right there because you are asking lads to play in an incredibly physical league, you are asking them to pitch up week in week out.
“There has to be some give and take and, as coaches, we take a lot of direction from Mike Lancaster (head of medical) and they would make sure we are not wasting any of the players’ energy unnecessarily during the weeks so they have it for the weekend. Danny would be a really good example of that because the way Danny plays it’s all about being sharp. If Danny is in any way overly fatigued going into the game he is not going to be at his best.
“He has been outstanding for us, he really has been outstanding,” continued Flannery. “I would have played against Danny when I was back with Munster and with Ireland and he was always a player that we would have highlighted because of individual threat.
“He’s really popular within the squad, he is like a social glue player. When you are around Danny he is so charming, he makes everyone feel good. He is a good guy to have in the squad like that and on top of that, when he plays the way he is playing at the moment – everyone sees him as the guy who has got the magic plays but when I look at it, defensively he has made massive, massive plays for us over the last six, seven weeks as well.
“That and his kicking game, when those things are there allied to his natural ability to linebreak and create, that is probably why he is Premiership player of the month,” said Flannery, adding that Care’s defence was something that didn’t demand attention when he lined up against him as an opposition player.
“We would have highlighted him more as an individual threat, as an attacking threat when we would have played, he is going to try and snipe, he will try and take quick taps, he will bring tempo, he will look to run, to draw in lazy defenders and then play outside them, but it wouldn’t have been the defence side of it.
“I have been really impressed since I came in. Danny is a really, really good athlete which is why he is still so effective even as he gets into his (mid) 30s, he is a really good athlete and he is quite a physical player as well. The way we have been playing, the way that we have been defending, there is opposition that will make some breaches against us and it’s the ability to scramble, to get high up the field and then scramble and Danny does that really, really well for us.”
'I was very much a middle-to-bottom player in a club… it’s their salaries that are getting cut by a large amount. Those players are left in the s***' @TomStephenson13 walked away from rugby at 26, his mental health in tatters. He talks to @heagneyl ???https://t.co/tIADPwvn0G
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Comments on RugbyPass
Always reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
1 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
4 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
4 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to comments