VETERAN CARE OUT TO SHOW HE’S STILL EDDIE’S CUP OF TEA

EDDIE JONES has warned his England side he will be watching to see if they survive the heat of battle against the Barbarians after recalling veteran scrum-half Danny Care for the Twickenham clash. Care, 35, is poised to make his first international appearance since 2018 after being named on the bench. Tomorrow’s clash is the final chance for England’s players to earn selection for next month’s three-Test tour of Australia. ‘Last-minute impressions are always important,’ said Jones. ‘We always talk about the tea-bag theory. You get your tea bag out of the packet and you never really know how good it is until you put it into the hot water.

‘On Sunday some of these young guys are going to be in hot water, so then we’ll see how good the tea is. I’ve always liked Danny as a player. He has the ability to make sure the attack keeps going forward, which given the speed of ball in today’s game is invaluable. He’s a good character. I don’t think age is a consideration. He’s got great desire. After a game recently I texted him to say, “Well played” and he came back and said he’d love to catch up.

‘We had a coffee and he was adamant on how keen he was to play for England.’ England’s side is captained by Tom Curry, with Care as back-up to scrum-half and vice-captain Harry Randall. International rookies Tommy Freeman and Jack Walker start at full back and hooker respectively, while Joe Cokanasiga and Jonny May return on the wings.

The experience of the 84-cap Care could prove vital against the Wallabies if Ben Youngs opts not to travel following the death of his brother Tom’s wife, Tiffany. ENGLAND: Freeman; Cokanasiga, Marchant, Atkinson, May; Smith, Randall; Rodd, Walker, Collier, Ewels, Hill, Curry, Underhill, Dombrandt. TV: LIVE on Amazon, kick-off 3pm tomorrow.