Harlequins are trying to persuade Danny Care to sign a new contract and finish his career at The Stoop, 18 years after he made his debut for the club.
The 37-year old won his 100th England cap during the Six Nations and at the end of the tournament said he would take time to reflect before deciding whether to end his international career.
The scrum-half has been linked with Bayonne, the club Manu Tuilagi is joining along with Northampton’s Alex Moon. If Care moved to France he would not be considered by England but Quins are hoping he will stay.
“This is the time of year when you have a lot of conversations with players,” said Billy Millard, Quins director of rugby. “Danny is one of them. He is a massive part of this club and we want to keep him.
“We did not want to take his focus away when he was with England. Our head of recruitment (Ed Stokes) has known Danny for 20 years. This has all been planned and Danny is awesome to deal with.”
One player who is leaving is centre Andre Esterhuizen, below, who is returning to South Africa after four years in London for family reasons. The hard-carrying midfielder, who had another year on his contract, quickly became a fan favourite and forced his way into the Springboks’ squad on the strength of his performances in the Premiership.
“Andre has an amazing relationship with the players, staff and supporters,” said Millard. “He handled himself really well in the discussions with us. He is such a big part of our club but we wanted to support him.
“He still has a massive part to play for us this season and going forward because of how he has helped the young players at the club.”
Quins captain Stephan Lewies played alongside Esterhuizen for the Sharks in South Africa and said the centre would be missed.
“We are best mates and he is like a brother to me,” said Lewies.
“He has played his best rugby at Quins and it took him to a World Cup.
“The club means a lot to him and I know it was not an easy decision. Andre will be up there when the talk is about Harlequin greats.
“We will definitely miss him, but he is very motivated for the block of games we have coming upon. I am glad to be playing on the same side as him, not against him.” during training.
Quins faced Saracens in the Premiership yesterday and while the two clubs are long-term rivals, Millard paid tribute to Sarries hooker Jamie George who captained England in the Six Nations.
“England are on a good path and our boys loved the Six Nations campaign,” said Millard. “There is a nice balance between old dogs and new guys and Steve Borthwick has found his feet.
“The Quins boys have always spoken highly of Jamie George as a guy. He has done an incredible job and they have so much respect for him.”
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