Care is handed shock England recall by Jones
Quins scrum-half back due to doubts on Youngs’ availability Ten uncapped players named in squad to face Barbarians
Danny Care has been handed a surprise recall by Eddie Jones who has included the veteran scrum-half in a 36-man squad to face the Barbarians following a four-year exile.
Care, the standout No9 in the Premiership this season, was called up alongside five other Harlequins players after the club were knocked out of the Premiership semi-finals by Saracens. Ironically, the 35-yearold had been planning to turn out for the Barbarians only to receive an unexpected summons from Jones, who has also included five players from Northampton Saints who lost their semi-final to Leicester Tigers.
There was no room for Quins loosehead Joe Marler while Wasps back row Alfie Barbeary was surprisingly released from the squad, which does not include players from Leicester or Saracens who contest the Premiership final on Saturday. Jones will name his full squad for the three-test series against Australia next Monday.
Care, who has 84 caps, is likely to remain in contention for a place in the summer series to Australia, particularly if Ben Youngs chooses not to tour for family reasons. Youngs’s sister-in-law, Tiffany, died last week and the Leicester scrum-half has pulled out of previous tours for family reasons.
Nevertheless, Care’s recall is a major surprise after an alleged falling out with Jones during England’s 2018 victory against Japan. Care is understood to have challenged the coach’s tactics at half-time when England were trailing. Care was never picked again by Jones, who picked the New Zealand-born Willi Heinz for his 2019 World Cup squad.
“I would be lying if I said it didn’t sting a little bit more,” Care told Telegraph Sport in 2019. “It took me by surprise that they had gone for Willi. That’s not his fault. I have got nothing against Willi. I never knew he had aspirations to play for England. I never knew he could play for England. When he came into that Barbarians week, he took me back a bit because I didn’t know how long he had been in the country or that he had an English grandmother.”
Bristol’s Harry Randall and Northampton’s Alex Mitchell are the other scrum-halves in the current squad. There are 10 uncapped players in contention for the uncapped game, including London Irish flier Henry Arundell. “This is a strong, diverse squad,” Jones said. “There are a lot of exciting, young players and some experienced players who have another opportunity to shine.
“Everyone will be given a chance to make their case for being part of the Australia tour squad while we prepare for the Barbarians. We’re looking forward to working hard on the training pitch so we’re ready for a fantastic match on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Australia head coach Dave Rennie has opted not to call up powerhouse lock Will Skelton for the Test series. Rennie is allowed to pick three overseas players but opted for Quade Cooper, Marika Koroibete and Samu Kerevi, three backs, rather than Skelton, who played a starring role in La Rochelle’s Champions Cup success. England squad (v Barbarians, Sunday, 3pm, Twickenham). Forwards J Blamire, C Chick, W Collier, T Curry, T Davison, A Dombrandt, C Ewels, W Goodrick-clarke, J Hill, T Hill, S Jeffries, C Lawes, L Ludlam, B Rodd, P Schickerling, J Singleton, W Stuart, S Underhill, J Walker, J Willis. Backs H Arundell, M Atkinson, O Bailey, D Care, J Cokanasiga, F Dingwall, T Freeman, O Hassell-collins, W Joseph, J Marchant,
J May, A Mitchell, J Nowell, A Radwan, H Randall,
M Smith.