Last updated: 3rd March 2008
Oh Danny Boy: In hot form for Quins
It kills me to say it but I think I probably am better at rugby than football.
Danny Care
Quotes of the week
In this post World Cup era there is always a lot of speculation about who should step into the boots of the English old guard when they finally step down from national duty.
One berth that looks to be up for grabs is that of scrum-half now that Richard Wigglesworth of Sale Sharks has been given the nod ahead of veteran Andy Gomersall but there are other pretenders to the throne.
There is a growing groundswell of opinion, and not just from the regulars at The Stoop this season, that Danny Care of Harlequins could be the man to take the international number nine jersey from his club team-mate Gomersall for the long term.
And if Care needs encouragement to go for it he need only look at the success of his team-mates at Quins, David Strettle and Mike Brown, who were rewarded for their part in Quins reaching the Heineken Cup this season with England debuts in the summer.
The point is not lost on the ambitious Care, as he told the Rugby Club.
"Browny has done really well there," said Care. "He played really well all season and he got his chance in South Africa, the same as Stretts who played well in the Premiership.
"Maybe with a couple of injuries there is a chance and you get in there and you play well, you see how well he has done. It is something you always aspire to achieve; you look at what the likes of them lot that have done it and you see it is possible."
It is possible now for Care but only because he has traded football for rugby. Had he not left the Sheffield Wednesday academy where he was once a gifted striker it could be Wayne Rooney's number nine shirt he would be chasing instead of Wigglesworth's.
He said: "It kills me to say it but I think I probably am better at rugby than football.
"I have grown to see how the team bonds in rugby and how you are real good mates with all the boys and it is sort of like a team effort. Maybe with some of the footballers it is a bit different."
And Danny Care could be a 'bit different' and a bit special too. Watch him on Sky Sports when Harelquins take on Gloucester in the Guinness Premiership and then don't be surprised if the next time you see him, he is wearing an England number nine shirt.
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Guinness Premiership | |
| Friday 20th November | |
| Guinness Premiership | |
| 19:45 | Gloucester vs Leicester |
| 20:00 | Worcester vs Bath |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| 13:00 | Northampton vs Harlequins |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| 15:00 | London Irish vs Newcastle |
| 15:00 | Saracens vs Wasps |
| 15:00 | Leeds Carnegie vs Sale |
| Friday 27th November | |
| 19:45 | Sale vs Wasps |
| 20:00 | Newcastle vs Northampton |
| 20:00 | Worcester vs Saracens |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| 15:00 | Harlequins vs Gloucester |
| 15:00 | Worcester vs Saracens |
| 15:00 | Leicester vs Leeds Carnegie |
| 17:35 | Bath vs London Irish |
| Saturday 5th December | |
| 15:00 | London Irish vs Worcester |
| 15:00 | Northampton vs Bath |
| 15:00 | Gloucester vs Newcastle |
| 17:35 | Saracens vs Sale |
| Sunday 6th December | |
| 15:00 | Wasps vs Leicester |
| 15:00 | Leeds Carnegie vs Harlequins |
| Saturday 26th December | |
| 14:15 | Bath vs Gloucester |
| 15:00 | Leicester vs Sale |
| 15:00 | Worcester vs Northampton |
| Sunday 27th December | |
| 15:00 | London Irish vs Saracens |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Leeds Carnegie |
| 16:00 | Harlequins vs Wasps |
| Result |
|---|
| Guinness Premiership |
| Sunday 1st November |
| Guinness Premiership |
| Newcastle 14 - 3 Worcester |
| Wasps 9 - 15 Leeds Carnegie |
| Saturday 31st October |
| Leicester 29 - 15 Northampton |
| Harlequins 9 - 9 London Irish |
| Bath 11 - 12 Saracens |
| Friday 30th October |
| Sale 28 - 23 Gloucester |
| Sunday 25th October |
| Saracens 21 - 15 Leeds Carnegie |
| Saturday 24th October |
| Gloucester 6 - 35 Wasps |
| London Irish 18 - 12 Leicester |
| Northampton 21 - 16 Sale |
| Worcester 22 - 26 Harlequins |
| Bath 16 - 27 Newcastle |
| Sunday 4th October |
| Leeds Carnegie 10 - 26 Gloucester |
| Wasps 20 - 15 Northampton |
| Newcastle 15 - 22 Saracens |
| Saturday 3rd October |
| Harlequins 13 - 11 Bath |
| Leicester 19 - 14 Worcester |
| Friday 2nd October |
| Sale 8 - 11 London Irish |
| Sunday 27th September |
| Saracens 19 - 16 Gloucester |
| London Irish 28 - 16 Wasps |
| Saturday 26th September |
| Bath 20 - 20 Leicester |
| Worcester 24 - 18 Sale |
| Northampton 30 - 10 Leeds Carnegie |
| Friday 25th September |
| Newcastle 17 - 17 Harlequins |
| Sunday 20th September |
| Wasps 23 - 3 Worcester |
Jonny Wilkinson told The Rugby Club he hopes to play with new-found freedom against Australia on Saturday.
Aussie Matt Giteau tells Rugby Club that he is keen to avoid a repeat of his first Twickenham outing.
Fit-again Wasp Simon Shaw told the Rugby Club how he plans to return to boost England this Autumn.
Head coach Bryan Redpath told The Rugby Club how passion can revive Gloucester's fortunes.
The Rugby Club visited the Stoop to see how Harlequins are bouncing back from their summer.