Danny Care says he has not decided whether to retire from Test rugby after winning his 101st cap in England’s 33-31 defeat in France on Saturday, describing boss Steve Borthwick as “one of the best coaches I have ever worked with”.
Having won his 100th cap during England’s epic last-gasp win over Ireland at Twickenham a week earlier, Care replaced Alex Mitchell 10 minutes from the end in Lyon and helped England regain the lead before Thomas Ramos’ penalty decided the contest for the hosts.
“I’ve not made any big decisions yet,” said the 37-year-old, calling himself “still not out”. “I’ve loved being a part of this team. I genuinely have.
“This past seven weeks, during the Six Nations, have been some of my favourite times in an England shirt.
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“Last week was an unbelievable feeling; I thought we were going to do it again and maybe surpass [that], but last week was obviously an amazing moment.
“The icing on the cake would have been another win this week but it wasn’t to be. I’ve never been prouder to wear an England shirt.”
A disagreement with former head coach Eddie Jones looked to have ended Care’s Test career but he returned after a four-year absence to win his 84th cap on the 2022 tour to Australia.
“I’ve had an amazing time and this team is going to go in one direction, I’m sure of it,” he said. “Whether I’m a part of that or not, I’ll be the happiest person to be a part of it or watching it.”
A brave performance ends in defeat.#FRAVENG | #GUINNESSM6N PIC.TWITTER.COM/9JW0PV65TO
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) MARCH 16, 2024
England coach Borthwick ‘the man’
England’s slim chance of winning the Six Nations following their win over Ireland was over by the time they took on France after the reigning champions beat Scotland earlier on Saturday, but Care says he owes Borthwick and his coaching staff “an awful lot”.
“He is always wanting to get better,” added Care. “That’s one of his big phrases – he hates looking back, he is always looking forward.
“Straight after the game, he is thinking ‘how we can improve? How can we get better?’ He blew my mind at the [2023] World Cup a few times when he had all the stats and the data and the analytics.
“He rolls that all down so we can actually understand it as mere mortals. He sees all these trends in the game and what’s happening and why it is happening and he knows stuff.
“All I will say about Steve is that he is the man. He is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with; his attention to detail, how honest he is, how much you trust him – he is the one to take this team where it is going to go. The sky is the limit.”
Care’s club side, Harlequins, are seven points behind Northampton in second in the Premiership before their visit to Harlequins – a point below them, in fourth – on Saturday.
