Q&A – Danny Care: I’m a glass half full guy, I dream of call from Eddie

 

 

After signing on again at Harlequins, longserving scrum-half Danny Care reflects on an eventful season to date and tells NEALE HARVEY there is still so much he wants to achieve.

Halfway through the season, how happy are you that Quins are in the top four?

It's been a mad old year and it feels like we've been going for two years rather than being midway through, but at the start of the season I'd have bitten your hand off to be third at this stage. It could have been better and we were disappointed not to win at Newcastle last week, but we're right in the hunt.

What was your take on Paul Gustard's departure in January?

It's never nice to see a guy that you care about, respect and have known for a long time lose his job, but from the stuff that subsequently came out it sounded like he'd made his mind up anyway that he wanted to go. It was going to happen and while as players it's always strange when someone leaves part way through a season – and it was a shock – I do feel it was best for both parties if they weren't going to extend it past the summer.

On reflection, why did Harlequins not work out for Paul?

It was a tough one. Gussy had come from two incredibly successful environments with Saracens and England and it's a big job change to go from a defence coach to director of rugby and having to look after player contracts, deal with agents, set a culture and then have to coach as well. It's a big ask and this isn't me saying he struggled with it, but I do feel that he didn't have a lot of experience of having coaches around him. Gussy's so meticulous and he's a winner who's so desperate to win that he probably found it hard to let other people take the pressure off him. He wanted to have his imprint on everything because he cared so much about it, which was to the detriment of us having one of the best defence coaches in the world. There was also a bit of a contrast in styles of how Gussy saw the game should be played to how as a whole club at Harlequins, the club see the way we should play. That came out in Gussy's comments at the end about going to a place (Benetton Treviso) with a clear vision and that's maybe what he meant by that. Look, we've taken some great things from Gussy and he's made us a lot better defensively. We still had some blips but in terms of playing in the right areas we've come on a lot and we wish him all the best because wherever he goes, he'll be an incredible coach.

How do you feel Nick Evans, Adam Jones and Jerry Flannery have filled the breach?

They've had to step up. We had some pretty honest conve r- sations after Gussy left and said it was down to us as a whole – coach- es, senior players and younger boys – to really drag us out of a bit of a hole. A lot of people were saying stuff about us and when the head guy goes, we're all accountable. We're in no way saying it was all Gussy's fault that we weren't successful, it was all of us. We've had to roll up our sleeves and work really hard in training to try and put some stuff out on to the pitch that our fans can get behind, which we've done over the last five or six weeks. We feel we're only scratching the surface, we know this team can be better.

Harlequins are searching for a new head of rugby, what sort of a person do they need?

The club have been open in saying they're going to take their time and find the right person to fit the club, rather than the other way around.

Reading between the lines, I hope the coach that comes in has an attacking mindset. Look at the players we've got like Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt, Joe Marchant and Louis Lynagh – if you can inspire them through attack, that's how you'll get the most out of them. We want someone who comes in and challenges us, but who can also be challenged as well by players and coaches and is someone you care about and want to work for.

You recently re-signed for the club, was that an easy decision?

As soon as I knew the club wanted to keep me, we made it happen. I love the club and everything it's given me and I want to see Harlequins get back to where I think it should be before I hang up the boots. My motivation now is to help this squad reach its potential and get back to fighting for silverware.

Marcus Smith has also re-signed despite reported interest from Bath and Lyon, how big for the club is that?

I'm delighted for Marcus and the club that they got it done. I'm not surprised other clubs were interested in throwing significant amounts of money at him because for me he's the most exciting attacking fly-half in the Premiership. He's barely out of nappies but has already played over 100 games for Harlequins and it's ridiculous how much experience he's gained from winning big games and learning how not to lose. He's learnt to lead a team from such a young age and he's a guy you can build a squad, team and vision around because he is that good. Just sprinkle in the right players around him – a good mixture of younger and older lads – and help him reach his full potential because we all know the sky is the limit for Marcus. We all want to see him in an England shirt and I feel Quins will be the right club for him to do that.

Are you surprised he's currently being overlooked by Eddie Jones?

I am and I'm not. It's the big debate but with Owen Farrell and George Ford having done so well for Eddie – and they have been brilliant for Eddie – it's very hard to break that combination down. Also, I feel that over the last couple of years as a club, we haven't played well enough to give Marcus the platform to really push his case. I hope the last six or seven games have shown what he can do because when the rest of us play well, Marcus plays well. He's been brilliant and I'm hoping he must be knocking on the door now. It's been a while for him not being in that squad and there have been guys picked ahead of him who, again, haven't gone on to play. No disrespect to those guys but I think Marcus is better than them and it's one of those situations where he's just got to bide his time and be ready for when that opportunity comes.

“Gussy wanted his imprint on everything because he cared so much”

Do you think Marcus is answering questions over his game-management?

That's probably the one thing that Eddie would say – how do you win big games internationally? It is different to playing in the Premiership, the step up is massive, but you don't know if guys like Marcus can do it until you try them. Eddie wants to see Marcus control games more, so something I've tried to do at the club is take some of the pressure off him and allow him just to be himself and play instinctive rugby. Eddie always said that his favourite players are the ones who are instinctive and play what they see, and Marcus is probably the most instinctive player he could choose. If he's not involved in this Six Nations, I hope he'll go on the summer tour and get an opportunity.

What do you make of England's faltering Six Nations campaign?

I've been there when we've lost a few games, the sharks start circling and everyone demands they should change everyone. As players, you've just got to block it out and I feel sorry for them in a way because they're almost suffering for their success. They have been good but as soon as you have a blip, everyone thinks drastic change is needed. When you're wearing an England shirt there's an expectation that you should beat everyone comfortably, but the reality is it's a lot harder than that and their confidence has probably been knocked a little bit. They've been good in patches and Anthony Watson's try against Wales last week is how everyone wants to see England play – fast tempo, physical runners, getting the ball to the speedsters early so they can do their stuff. There were times where our attack looked brilliant and that's the blueprint really. I don't think drastic changes are needed but I'd maybe make a couple of tweaks in selection to freshen up the squad and that would be great for the team.

After 84 caps, do you accept your England career is over?

I still hold on to the dream that one day I might get a phone call. It's probably a foolish hope but it's a tough one when you still feel like you could help. I look at that squad and feel I could contribute in areas they might be struggling in, but all I can do is play well for my club and even though I'm 34 and age isn't on my side, I feel as fit as I've ever done. Deep down I don't expect to play for England again, which is sad to say, but there's still a glimmer and I'm a glass half full guy.

Back to Quins, the club was always recognised for fielding lots of homegrown players but that's fallen away a bit. Why?

Over the last few years, the turnover of players has been astronomical. Every year there seem to be 15 out of the door with ten coming in, then the next year it's 20 out of the door and 15 in, so that's been hard for us as a club. It's hard to rebuild or grow a culture when the playing group is changing so much. Whoever's decision that was, whether it was Gussy bringing in players he thought he needed and getting rid of guys he didn't want around, there has been a lot of movement which is not great for the culture. We've brought in South Africans in Andre Esterhuizen, Stephan Lewies and Wilco Louw who've really added to us, but in general I don't think our recruitment over the past few years has been great and we've got a lot wrong. I'm a great believer in growing your own and we're seeing young guys like Louis Lynagh, Hugh Tizard and Archie White making an impact now, so hopefully more will be getting opportunities.

Did you know that behind Richard Wigglesworth and Toby Flood, you're now the third longest serving Premiership player?

That makes me feel old but I'm glad there are a couple of granddads ahead of me and I also actually feel quite proud to have lasted so long. Good friends have had to retire early so I'm very lucky to have stayed fit for all that time and pretty much do it at one club, which I'm proud of as well. I started at Leeds but to have had 15 years at Quins is quite something. The game is as physical as it has ever been but the laws and the learnings are making the game as safe as it can be. There's been a lot of talk about the game in terms of red cards and head knocks but you've got to look after players if you want to see them enjoy longevity and play every week.

Any improvements you'd like to see in the game?

Everybody would like to see a more attacking brand of rugby where kids won't turn the TV off because they're bored. I do feel rugby is in danger of that. I know from speaking to people that that's probably happened over the last year or so. If we want to inspire the next generation to pick up a rugby ball, you've got to make it look good at the top level. As hard as this is to say as an Englishman, probably the best thing to happen would be for France to win the Six Nations and World Cup playing the way they currently do because we all know that rugby is a fairly copycat sport. France and New Zealand are probably the two teams that break the mould and Scotland are trying to change the way the game is played as well. It's become too much about linespeed and physicality in defence for me, so I'd like to see the ball thrown into open space a bit more so guys like Jonny May and Anthony Watson start getting their hands on it more.

Do you think no relegation in the Premiership for a few years will herald a sea change?

It's easier said than done because jobs are on the line for players and coaches who have families to support, but I would massively get on board if the Premiership as a whole was looking at ways of making the game more attacking. Whether that's going to happen or not, I don't know, but at Harlequins we're trying to find ways to play quickly and get the ball to our dangerous runners in space. I think a mindset shift from everyone across the league would be great for rugby in general.

We're not saying turn the Premiership into Sevens because defence is an important part of making the top four, top six or whatever, but if you hold the ball you don't have to defend as much so I'd like to see the attacking game developed.

You mentioned Leeds earlier, how disappointing is it to see your old club struggling?

Really sad. Leeds Tykes was one of the greatest times I had as a young lad from the city, so to see the name go and then the club nearly fold, it feels like a very distant memory. Yorkshire's such a big county and there are so many young kids there who need a team to get behind and be inspired by, so I really hope Leeds can find a way to get a top-quality rugby union side back in the Premiership.

Finally, what are your remaining playing ambitions and do you fancy coaching?

The aim is to win a title with Harlequins. I'd love to lift a bit more silverware before I finish. If I miss out, if I can help lay the foundations for others to go on and win a trophy that would mean the world to me. It's been nine years since we won the Premiership and since then we haven't been good enough, but with the squad we've got and if we can get the right head coach in, Harlequins is a club that should be challenging. As for coaching, it's not something I used to think I could get into but over the last couple of years I've been doing some one-to-one stuff and am starting to feel that maybe I could offer some help to people. I'm doing my coaching badges and enjoy seeing players improve so it's something I'm going to have a little look at.