Quins star after more consistency to convince Eddie Jones
DANNY Care is demanding a special Ricoh repeat from Harlequins to avoid their latest European bandwagon crashing off the rails before it builds up any steam.
The scrum-half, keen to use the Champions Cup platform to impress Eddie Jones further, also outlined his desire to fend off “friendly rival” Ben Youngs and start a third successive Test against the Pumas.
Care, 30, is determined his final playing years will serve up plenty of “happy memories” in the shape of silverware. However, to ensure a possible European medal does not pass him by again this season, he and Quins simply must beat Wasps to keep alive their Champions Cup hopes.
A home loss to La Rochelle last weekend was a huge setback and means they cannot afford any more Pool 1 slip-ups if they are to progress to the next stage. But the Londoners can at least draw upon a recent Premiership success in Coventry for inspiration.
Care, who inspired Quins to a 24-21 victory last month, claims: “It’s a huge game for both clubs and we’ve been working hard to rectify some of the things that went wrong last week.
“The Ricoh is a tough place to get a result but we have the confidence of knowing we did just that four weeks ago. We will need to play to that standard again and probably even better to repeat it this time. Wasps will want to set the record straight with us for that defeat.
“It should be a great game between two sides that know each other well and who like to play attacking rugby.
“They are on a bit of a losing streak after winning their opening two games. They have a load of injuries and are missing some key players but we have massive respect for them. They will want to get the win to get their season back on track.”
Quins’ own form, however, is also concerning Care, who added: “We are still far too inconsistent and are shifting too many tries and giving up too many soft points. We’ve won three and lost four but could easily have won five, six or possibly seven of those games on better days.
“If you score 27 points at home, which we did last week, you should win but we let in 34 which wasn’t good enough. We’re close to putting in a very good performance so, hopefully, it comes this weekend.”
With England head coach Jones naming his squad for the Twickenham clashes this week, Care would love to use a huge, pressurised European occasion to press his claims to start against Argentina on November 11.
Care, who has 73 caps, said: “Every year is the same, you have to fight for the right to start for England. I’d love to get the shout but Ben is back and he’s a great player. We’ve got our friendly rivalry going so I’ll see what Eddie decides.
“I loved going down to Argentina again in the summer. To get two Test wins was no mean feat. We’ve got them first up at Twickenham and that will be really tough because they will want to finish their season on a high and get their own back on us for beating them in June.
“Every time you play against Argentina you know you are in for a physical encounter. They throw the ball around from anywhere and they are usually exciting games to play in.”
But Care is also looking beyond next month. He added: “I feel I’ve a few good years left in me at the top. The big thing for me coming to the latter stages of my playing career is how I want to finish.
“You don’t want to bow out and not really achieve as much as you want.
“The desire to be successful, and win big games is huge. The ultimate dream for us around the England squad is to win the World Cup in Japan. That’s what gets me up every day. It’s to play and win with Quins and play and be successful with England.
“I want to make some incredible memories over the next few years so when I look back I can be happy with what I achieved.
“It’s always a nice time of year to be playing well, get some form in the bag and enjoy a successful Autumn series. Hopefully, the next six weeks will be a happy time for me.”