‘Unbelievably proud’ England centurion Danny Care calls time on Test career
England's scrum-half Danny Care on the charge.
Scrum-half Danny Care confirmed that he will be retiring from Test rugby after a 16-year career with England at the highest level.
Care recently became just the sixth player in history to reach 100 caps for the Red Rose and finishes his career with some impressive accolades including three Six Nations titles, one of which was a Grand Slam in 2016.
The Harlequins man first ran out for his country against New Zealand when he was 21 years of age and operated in tandem with Ben Youngs in the scrum-half role for the majority of his Test career.
Proud Englishman
Care underlined how proud he is to have represented his country whilst also predicting a bright future for the current England crop.
“I’m unbelievably proud to be English and to have had the privilege to represent this amazing country over the past 16 years,” he said on englandrugby.com.
“The team is in a really exciting place and there are some incredible young nines out there that I can’t wait to watch and support how they take the team forward.
“To (head coach) Steve (Borthwick), (captain) Jamie (George), the coaches and the whole backroom staff, thank you for believing in me. I know this team is going to go on to do unbelievable things.
“I 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.
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“It means the world, and nothing will ever beat the feeling of walking out to all of you at Twickenham.”
He added on Instagram: “To play for England once was a dream come true. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get the opportunity to do it over 100 times.
“After a lot of reflection the past few months, the time feels right for myself and the team, to retire from international rugby.
“The past 12 months in this England team have been arguably my favourite, making memories that my family and I will cherish and remember forever.”
Fell out of favour
Care fell out of favour under Eddie Jones in 2018 but received a recall after brilliant club form before being kept on by Steve Borthwick when he came in as coach. The scrum-half paid tribute to the England boss for selecting him.
Speaking earlier this month, he said: “If it had all finished a couple of years ago it would have been a bit meh, a bit rubbish, so I’m delighted with how the last year has gone.
“I owe Steve and the coaching staff an awful lot for giving me another opportunity for doing what I love doing the best.”
