England fear over Itoje’s facial injury
Magical Care conjures two late tries to leave Euro kings reeling
MARO ITOJE gave England a Six Nations scare yesterday as he was taken to hospital for scans on a facial injury amid fears he may have fractured his cheekbone or jaw. The 23-year-old was hurt in the 48th minute of Saracens’ 20-19 loss to Harlequins at The Stoop after a suspected collision with Mike Brown. He was helped off clutching his mouth and left cheek. Itoje was immediately taken to hospital for scans on the damage, with further bulletins expected today. ‘Maro has gone to hospital with a facial injury so we’ll get an update in the next 24 hours,’ said Saracens’ director of rugby, Mark McCall. ‘They’re going to find out if it is structural.’ England start their Six Nations campaign against Italy in Rome on February 4.
DANNY CARE was the Midas matchwinner for Harlequins yesterday as he led Saracens a merry dance at The Stoop, to condemn the European champions to a fifth successive defeat.
The last time Mark McCall’s side endured such a troubled run was a decade ago. ‘We haven’t been in a spot like this for some time,’ said their director of rugby.
As if the result wasn’t bad enough, Maro Itoje was taken to hospital for scans on a facial injury, amid fears that he may have suffered a fractured jaw or cheekbone. ‘ They are going to find out if it is structural or not,’ said McCall.
Saracens’ fabled ‘wolf pack’ had threatened to deny the dominant hosts, only for the sky to fall in on them, in a dramatic last nine minutes. That was all the time it took for Care to wreak havoc and cap a gloriously exuberant performance. The England scrum-half conjured two tries for Quins in stunning fashion to turn this pulsating encounter upside down.
In the 71st minute, John Kingston’s men were awarded a penalty near halfway and in a flash, Care (below) had tapped and gone; bursting clear through the retreating Saracens line. As he kicked ahead, he appeared to be taken out and the home fans howled in protest, but there was no need for official intervention as turbocharged Quins wing Charlie Walker surged through to touch down his second try of the game.
James Lang’s conversion narrowed the deficit to a solitary point, only for Owen Farrell to strike a penalty at the other end soon after. But it wasn’t enough, as Care came again.
A minute from time, after a line-out drive on the right, the 30-year-old received the ball and aimed a cross-kick towards the far corner. Alex Goode fumbled it, Tim Visser gathered and blasted over
from close range. Cue pandemonium in the sold-out stands. Lang missed the tight conversion, but Quins were in front for the first time.
All they had to do was take the restart and kick the ball off the field. Fittingly, it was Care who did just that, to bring the house down and end a classic club contest which was markedly more tense and absorbing than the majority of the recent Tests around Europe. It was a wonderfully vibrant occasion laced with mutual loathing and occasional spite.
‘Danny has that bit of spark that wins you games — that’s what he is all about,’ said Kingston. ‘I see a slightly different side to him now; more mature. He is surrounded by younger players these days and he is almost like the daddy here; like he is at home.
‘Danny is a wonderful, wonderful footballer. The team had done enough to stay in the game and it was a grandstand finish.’
It was indeed. If Care is regarded by Eddie Jones as his secondchoice No 9, then the England head coach is truly blessed in that department. But he was not the only one of Quins’ returning Test contingent who had a major hand in this momentous result. Chris Robshaw was officially named man of the match and it was due reward for a titanic shift at the heart of the forward battle. The flanker was relentless; with the ball and without it — driving, rucking, tackling, on and on, again and again and again.
The hosts spent fully 10 minutes pounding the ramparts in Saracens’ 22 before finding a way through for their first try, in the first half, when Walker struck from a cross-kick by Lang.
By then, Brad Barritt had scored for McCall’s side, after a break by prop Vincent Koch. Farrell’s boot kept the visitors in the ascendancy, until Care’s took over.
McCall was not amused. ‘It is incredibly disappointing to lose a game we should have won,’ he said. ‘ We were not good enough today, but we’re OK; we are third in the Premiership and top of our Champions Cup pool. We have big games coming up.’
They certainly do; starting at home against Clermont Auvergne next Sunday. Saracens will be hellbent on proving this is just a blip.