Care’s taking the Long route back
DANNY Care may have endured a miserable start to the season but his spirits have been lifted by having Rugby League legend Sean Long around the Stoop.
Care returned to action in Europe last weekend after having to sit and suffer while Harlequins failed to make the fast start to the season head of rugby Paul Gustard was hoping for in their bid to build on last season’s fifth place.
A thrashing by Clermont Auvergne in their opening Champions Cup pool meant more disappointment for the 32-year-old scrum-half was was left devastated by being dealt a World Cup snub by Eddie Jones and then suffering a badly damaged ankle.
He is keen to make up for lost time, and will never give up on winning more international caps. And he hopes the summer arrival of former St Helens hero Lon will help him do just that come the Six Nations.
Care has nothing but praise for Long, who left his native north east to switch codes and take up a coaching role in South West London. Care, below, said: “I grew up watching Leeds Rhinos as a kid and was a massive League fan.
“Sean was one of my favourite players and now having met him, he is now one of my favourite blokes. He has some incredible stories. Everyone should read his book. Not much rugby in it but a lot about off the field antics.
“What I love about him is a lot of Rugby League coaches come over and try to tell you how to play Union. He’s come over and said, ‘I don’t know an awful lot about Rugby Union but what I do know a lot about is skills, catching and passing the ball and running lines, and that’s what I am going to teach you. “That’s what he is doing. He’s not saying I should be head coach and this is how we should play. He’s taking two or three things along with Nick Evans who is running our attack and putting his own Northern twang on it.
“He is different to other coaches. He doesn’t hold back with feed back! He’s very open and honest.” On trying to play for England again, Care insists: “I will always do everything I can in training and on the playing field to put myself in with a chance of selection.
“There is no bigger honour in the game and it’s part of the reason I continue to play. Missing the World Cup hurt but that’s gone now and it’s about what I can do now and in the future.
“It was great to be fit again and back playing. It was my first game for six months. We got well beaten in Clermont but they have a fantastic team and will take some stopping this year.
“We got beaten up physically and not many teams will go there and get anything.”