WE’VE SCRUM A LONG WAY
England rugby hero Danny Care recalls how he and pal Jamie Vardy went from Owls rejects to title-winning champs
THEY were two small but quick attackers frustrated on the bench for Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-15s, yet both would go on to be England stars.
Danny Care became so disillusioned sat next to pal Jamie Vardy, he switched to rugby union, before becoming a title winner and England scrum-half. While Vardy’s path from heartbreak at his hometown club to Premier League champion is the
stuff of Hollywood, with a movie on the way. Vardy, 30, is aiming for more heroics this month as he bids to fire Leicester to top-flight safety and into the Champions League semi-finals.
Care is rooting for his pal, after playing alongside Vardy for Wednesday between the ages of 12-15, before a new academy chief wrecked their dreams.
In his autobiography ‘From Nowhere’, Vardy admits he was “absolutely devastated” when shown the door by his boyhood team. It took him seven years to piece his career back together at tiny, nonleague Stocksbridge, before Conference side Fleetwood signed him in 2011.
Care’s own journey to stardom was quicker as he was soon playing for England Under-16s at rugby.
The 30-year-old told MirrorSport: “We were quite similar – both pretty small lads but quick. We either played upfront or out on the wings.
“From the first time we met we got on well. We were two quite cheeky young lads who loved to play football and have a good time.
“We got to Under-15 level and a new academy manager came in and didn’t think we were big enough to play.
“I thought I should have been in the team but was sat on the bench alongside Jamie most of the time.
“When you’re told it is because of your size and not your ability, that is the point where I got fairly annoyed.
“He was picking a bigger team, so that year I left and went and did the rugby thing.
“Jamie stayed that season and was then released and did his journey, which is an unbelievable one.
“It is a fairytale and fantastic to see how well he has done to be one of the hottest properties in European football. But Jamie would probably admit, at that age, it wasn’t as if you were looking at a Lionel Messi.
“You wouldn’t have looked at any of our team and thought, ‘That guy stands out, he is going to be a superstar’.
“Jamie definitely scored some goals and had pace, which was his great attribute. He would get the ball and run at people like he does now.
“He could score goals but, if you are not getting picked, you can’t show that. It is all about opportunity and a bit of luck, and he has worked incredibly hard and stuck at it.
“He has developed well over time and has never lost his pace. Now he is reaping the rewards.”
Care (above left) quit commuting to Sheffield from Leeds three times a week and opted to play rugby, as local club Otley snapped him up, before moving to Leeds Tykes in 2003. A switch to Harlequins followed in 2006, where Care has established himself as club captain with over 200 appearances.
He also played his way up the England age groups to make his full debut in 2008 for the first of 71 caps.
No stranger to silverware himself, with three Six Nations titles and an historic Premiership win in 2012, Care has enjoyed the success of Vardy and Leicester.
He smiled: “We are two No.9s as well, which is funny. I am a Liverpool fan but we were never in the race last season and I was definitely cheering for him.
“He was the key man in Leicester’s amazing journey and it was awesome to watch.”
Vardy (above right) notched 24 goals last term but has found them harder to come by this season. He does, however, have five in six league games for the Foxes, who have climbed out of the drop zone.
Care, who often messages his old friend, said: “It is great to see him back in the goals – I stuck him back in my fantasy team recently.
“He goes out and doesn’t care who gets in his way or if they are bigger than him.”
After Crystal Palace today, Leicester face a huge second leg against Atletico Madrid at the King Power on Tuesday.
Care added: “Madrid will be huge favourites but, if I was a betting man, I’d stick a few quid on Leicester to go through.”
A new academy manager came in and didn’t think we were big enough to play