New-look Danny Care can tick all the boxes now
But after finally regaining his England starting spot in Paris, the scrum-half admits it is his attention to the prosaic rather than the poetic that has got him back in Stuart Lancaster’s good books.
Care’s last start for England came in last year’s Six Nations against Italy, a terrible afternoon for all concerned and undoubtedly the least convincing win of the Lancaster era.
But while the entire squad were clearly out of rhythm, Care’s struggles were the most visible on the day, summed up by a sliced box kick that ended up behind him and put England back on their own tryline.
And the 27-year-old, who came out of the autumn series with only one bench cameo to show for it, admits that a re-devotion to the basic art of kicking has heralded his re-call.
“My box-kicking was a bit of a criticism about my play,” he admitted.
“The way we play at Harlequins means I don’t box-kick that often as we like to keep the ball in hand and play.
“I’ve tried to take more of a role with that and relieving some pressure as Nick Evans can’t do it all himself, he needs me to help out.
“I’ve been working on my kicking game and at the moment it’s going well.
“All I try and do is play as well as I can. It was a disappointing autumn for me as I didn’t get much game time but I got sent away with a few ideas of how to improve my game and push for that starting shirt.”
Capped 42 times by his country and yet only 19 times a starter, Care has had to get used to his fair share of knock-backs.
Indeed, one of the few selection debates to be included in this summer’s Lions DVD showed the coaching panel – that included his England bosses Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell – opt for the clinical edge of Conor Murray rather than the X-Factor of Care.
But the Quins tyro is adamant that rejection has only made him stronger and he will not be abandoning his innovative attacking instincts any time soon.
“I only started one game last year (against Italy in the Six Nations) and a couple off the bench. It’s frustrating when you feel you can really add something to the team,” he added.
“It was great that the reverse pass came off (against Clermont).
“It was one of those where it’s a split second decision. I saw it going well in my head and luckily it went well. It’s a part of my game.
“I’ve never been one to throw my toys out of the pram. I’ll just go away and work hard and try and let my performances on the pitch tell the story.”
JONATHAN GREEN
