{"id":98211,"date":"2025-05-13T14:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T14:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/98211\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T14:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T14:05:09","slug":"england-legends-lead-tributes-to-danny-care-after-retirement-call-planet-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/98211\/","title":{"rendered":"England legends lead tributes to Danny Care after retirement call : Planet Rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somewhere back in 2003, in a pre-season friendly against Exeter Chiefs, a 16-year-old made his debut on the wing for Leeds Tykes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His name? Danny Care \u2013 a man who, some 22 years and 515 senior games later, has finally announced his retirement from the game at the venerable age of 38.<\/p>\n

To sum Care up in pure numbers doesn\u2019t do his flair and ambition with ball-in-hand justice. But, the scrum half will finish off with some 395 First XV appearances for his beloved club, coupled with a mammoth 101 caps for England at Test level, in an international career that spanned some 16 seasons and finished only last year, 2024.<\/p>\n

In his time, Care scored 15 tries for England and landed two rare drop goals, and at domestic level has grabbed 117 tries and four drop goals in his phenomenal Quins career.<\/p>\n

Young Tyke<\/p>\n

Care<\/a> was born in Leeds and started playing rugby union at age six with his local club, West Park Bramhope RUFC. A hugely talented footballer in the round ball variant, at age 11, he joined the Academy at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, which required him to stop club rugby union, though he continued playing at Prince Henry\u2019s Grammar School, Otley.<\/p>\n

After being released from the Sheffield Wednesday academy, Care focused on rugby union. By the end of the season, he was selected for Yorkshire Schools\u2019 U15s and joined the Leeds Tykes academy a year or so later at the beginning of the 2003\/04 season, playing predominantly as fly-half, helping Prince Henry\u2019s win the Daily Mail U18s Vase at Twickenham, scoring 13 points in an 18-11 victory against St Columba\u2019s College, St Albans.<\/p>\n

After two seasons at Leeds, where Care represented England in the Youth Sevens, he signed a three-year contract with Harlequins in the summer of 2006. In July 2008, Care was selected in the England Elite Player Squad for the upcoming season, launching an England career that lasted some 16 years, under four head coaches, featuring in two World Cups.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ll always be a Quin\u2019 \u2013 England and Harlequins icon Danny Care to retire from rugby<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

England calling<\/p>\n

He helped England achieve the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016, in addition to winning titles in 2011 and 2017 and also featured at two Rugby World Cups, earning selection in 2015 and helping England reach the semi-finals in France in 2023. He retired in 2024 as one of only six men\u2019s Test players to achieve 100 appearances for England, finishing with 101 caps after 15 years of playing at international level, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo play for England once was a dream come true. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I\u2019d get the opportunity to do it over 100 times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past 12 months in this England team have been arguably my favourite, making memories that my family and I will cherish and remember forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been thinking, \u2018I can\u2019t keep doing this forever\u2019. I\u2019ve got a young family at home that I\u2019ve spent a lot of time away from, and I\u2019m missing out on a lot of stuff and in the past nine months, we\u2019ve been away for about six of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Care added: \u201cI want to thank all the England fans from the bottom of my heart who have supported me and the team unconditionally throughout the years, all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means the world and nothing will ever beat the feeling of walking out to all of you at Twickenham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quins first<\/p>\n

Care\u2019s announcement today means that Harlequins<\/a> will be without the man who steered them to two Premiership wins in 2012 and 2021, winning the EPCR Challenge Cup in 2011 to add to his England silverware.<\/p>\n

Care at his best epitomised everything that was great about the SW London club \u2013 daring, impudent and vibrant, but most of all, entertaining, a man ready to metaphorically punch the big bullies on the nose and back his pace to get away from them. His long-standing partnership with Nick Evans, some 167 matches, was one of intuitive skill and brilliant rugby opportunism, all based around a fundamental belief that however many tries Quins conceded, they had the ability to score one more than their opponents.<\/p>\n

Former England back-rower Nick Easter, a man known to all at the Stoop as \u2018The Guvnor\u2019 and Care\u2019s number eight for some 10 seasons for both club and country, commented: \u201cAs the links between forwards and backs, your relationship between eight and nine is key in all rugby. Danny and I often had a different view of the game, but we both knew when the moments were right to run it and when to carry it up. He knew when to challenge the forwards and we knew when to challenge him. That was a really healthy relationship, one of honesty and equality, and one that we were able to take into the Test arena on 20 or so occasions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a delight to play with \u2013 direct, intelligent and demanding \u2013 and, in all modesty, that spine of me, Danny, Nick Evans and Mike Brown was the fundamental basis of many seasons of toil and graft at the Club \u2013 some that resulted in glory, some that didn\u2019t. Above all, we were mates; mates in battle, mates in the aftermatch, something that Quins weren\u2019t shy of enjoying.<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny\u2019s longevity is testimony to how fit he kept himself, not to mention his love of the physio\u2019s bench, something that I guess gets far more frequent as we get older as players. My biggest emotion is that all of the great times I enjoyed at Harlequins were shared with DC, on pitch, off pitch and wherever the game took us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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98-times capped Sale Sharks and England fly-half George Ford, a man who partnered with Care for England on 22 occasions, added: \u201cDanny is one of the most exciting and naturally gifted players I\u2019ve ever played with.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is always full of energy, always having an attacking mindset and wanting to go out there and be positive on the field. That approach was unbelievable to play with and always inspired you to do similar in terms of mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key for me is that he\u2019s also one of the best teammates off the field; someone who had time for everybody. DC is a joy to be around, always having a laugh. He\u2019s one of those players that, when you\u2019re at the end of your career, you\u2019ll look back on with a big smile and think not only what a great player he was, but what a great guy he was as well, and it\u2019s so important to retain that integrity in the modern game.<\/p>\n

\u201c515 games, I think, is an amazing achievement and what he\u2019s achieved for Harlequins, for England and for the wider game is fantastic. I can\u2019t think of a more significant player in terms of domestic Premiership Rugby, and I often think that DC\u2019s attacking ambition set the bar for others to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Care now, he leaves the playing field with a burgeoning career ahead of him as a media pundit, where his cheeky smile and razor-sharp analysis have already enchanted viewers of both domestic and international coverage.<\/p>\n

Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple also confirmed to Planet Rugby<\/strong> that Care will remain on the books at the Stoop in an ambassadorial and mentoring role to the wider Quins community, as the club looks to retain the knowledge and the impact of their most capped player.<\/p>\n

Care will leave the Stoop for the last time this Sunday, ironically where he started, against Exeter Chiefs, and wearing the famous quarters of the side that\u2019s he\u2019s done proud for some 19 years. For those attending, raise the roof for arguably the mightiest of all Quins \u2013 he deserves to get a memorable send off as few players, if any, have had such a memorable career for this great club.<\/p>\n

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