Without a Care

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

THE RUGBY CLUB
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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.