Why Danny Care is ‘impossible’ to replace as Harlequins boss challenges ‘young leaders’ to step up
Danny Care 'impossible' to replace but Quins boss names the young star he expects to 'push' to Prem level this year
Harlequins’ new senior coach Jason Gilmore has named the one player he expects to see rising through the ranks this season, as the club looks to reinvigorate itself after a couple of sub-standard campaigns.
The Australian coach has broadened his coaching responsibilities following the recent exit of former head coach Danny Wilson from the club, while Toby Booth joined Quins as forwards consultant for the 2025/26 season.
As well as taking on a more senior role, Gilmore retained responsibility for Quins’ defence, while Nick Evans remained as attack coach, Adam Jones as scrum coach and Gerard Mullen as skills coach.
Plans in motion
Gilmore spoke to Planet Rugby and a selection of the press at the Prem launch at Twickenham the day before Wilson’s confirmed exit. His plans for the future were clearly very much in motion, but first of all, a reflection on the past.
Having the talismanic Danny Care retire at the end of the season was always going to affect the club dynamic, but Gilmore says the next generation now have the opportunity to step up.
Admiring the England centurion, Gilmore said: “You can’t replace Danny Care, he’s a once-in-a-generation player.
“The energy that he brought to training sessions last year as a 37/38 year old was amazing. So the void there, it’s for Alex Dombrandt, it’s for Cadan Murley, it’s for those young leaders now. Not in terms of replacing Danny’s influence, because that’s just too difficult, but there’s an opportunity for those boys to show some leadership.”
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Explaining that Care popped into the club during the week, Gilmore denied any chance of a return for the scrum-half, joking: “The way he was running at the back end of last year, he looked a bit like my granddad, so I don’t think he’ll be making a comeback anytime soon.”
The future of Harlequins
Looking to the future, Gilmore highlighted Zach Carr as a star for the future. He did, however, admit that the former academy player struggled with the senior program last year in terms of the “detail and confidence” that he needed to play at within a “really competitive” back-row.
Despite this, Gilmore insisted that Carr’s form for London Scottish last year was “excellent” and highly credited his pre-season form and the two trial games he’s played so far, stating: “I think you’ll see him push through to the Premiership this year.”
On the more senior ladder, Gilmore suggested that Cadan Murley has “stepped up” over the past couple of years, saying: “He’s massive, his leadership is developing. As a young leader, we saw that improvement from the start of last year through to now, which is good.
“He’s just so keen to do well for the club and to lead. But as a talent, he’s just so important for us. He can go 80 metres, score tries from anywhere, and as this league is so tight, to have someone like him on the end of the line is really important.”