The England attack coach, Richard Wigglesworth, has heaped praise on Danny Care for his significant contribution to the national team on and off the field at the age of 37 as the scrum-half prepares to potentially reach a notable landmark this weekend.
Care could become only the sixth male player to win 100 Test caps if selected to face Ireland in Saturday’s Six Nations showdown at Twickenham. It would be a remarkable feat given the strength in depth England have had at scrum-half throughout Care’s career including the likes of the 127-times capped Ben Youngs and Wigglesworth himself. Care has been named in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the game but faces a battle to start at No 9, with Alex Mitchell back in contention after injury, meaning Care may have to settle for a place on the bench.
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However, Wigglesworth insisted that Care’s contribution to English rugby cannot be overstated, nor too can the fact he is still able to perform at the highest level after so long at the top. “Everyone’s story is different, you tend to remember the tough times and Danny has definitely had some of those and still got to 100 caps,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s shown enough week in, week out to show he can still play Test rugby. That takes enthusiasm, love for the game and sheer determination to decide you’ve had enough, which a lot of players do, and that’s fine. But he’s not done that.” When asked if Care was in contention to play against Ireland, Wigglesworth said: “We’ll deal with that this week and see where selection falls but with Danny, his perseverance and the class he’s shown to put himself in the position he’s in is brilliant.”
Wigglesworth also said that the Harlequins scrum-half remains a popular figure off the field as well as on it, and praised the impact the player has had on English rugby throughout his 16-year Test rugby career. “He’s great to coach,” he said. “You get a good sounding board off him with where the group is, how they’re feeling and what we might need.
“The thing about Danny is he’s probably been incredibly popular as a 37-year-old as a 21-year-old, across all these eras, he’s still a stable guy the lads will go to in order to smile and feel good. It’s testament to his character as to how he’s done that throughout all the stages of his career.”
