Danny Care

What does Danny Care need to do to be selected after being one of the stand out players so far this season.

The lions nearly took him as well, I think England want a scrum half who links the play, if you watch quins they have runners off of Care, he almost acts as play maker, England want a 9 who shifts the play quickly to play a truly 15 man game,

Exeter do this, Dave Lewis will shift the ball from the ruck to a back row or centre more often than not and they truck the ball from left to right,

However if you watch quins they play off of Evans and Care more than the back row and centres

From what I have seen it seems that everything for Quins comes from Care. He is the focal point. I think its a style of game that suits league level much more than international unless the scrum half is truly exceptional and the team is built around him. It also means he is very visible playing for his club.

In other words he looks great playing for quins but finds it harder to look as good playing for England.

He's been very unlucky in my opinion.

The Lions went for size in two if their 9's and then went for Youngs on the back of potential not form which was a shame as Care was the standout Prem scrumhalf that season.

England have tried Care but don't have the gameplan to use him effectively. For Quins he's givingn free reign to call plays as he sees them but Int it is totally regimented (Youngs struggles with this over-control too). So it was a choice between changing the whole gameplan or changing players, and Lancaster went for changing the player. We'll soon see if that was the right call (although I suspect it wasn't as Dickson partnered with Farrell offers about as much threat as a pigmy flying squirrel ball in hand).

Care is still the best English 9 but to play internationally he'll need to get hench or change his skills completely.

Has he gotten a proper haircut yet? Or does he still look like a refugee from electroshock therapy?

Can't represent Queen and Country looking like a failed experiment.

Haha!!

I think it's a game plan issue, Quins and England's game plans couldn't be more different

Tiger/Chief wrote:Haha!!

I think it's a game plan issue, Quins and England's game plans couldn't be more different

That's a fact!
One would hope that maybe, just a little, Lancaster might peek over to the Stoop to see what is going on there..........

It's the game plan and role of the 9. France, Australia when Cooper wasn't in and Quins play off their 9. England have always played off 10 if not 12. Care hasn't adapted well to this difference in the past. He's working on the relevant aspects of his game but this decision makes sense even if I would have him over Ben Youngs on the bench (hard to leave out a British Lion though, rightly or wrongly)

doctor_grey wrote:

Tiger/Chief wrote:Haha!!

I think it's a game plan issue, Quins and England's game plans couldn't be more different

That's a fact!  
One would hope that maybe, just a little, Lancaster might peek over to the Stoop to see what is going on there..........

Preferably not the match we were playing against Scariets on though. Don't copy that game plan

Slightly controversial but I wasn't really getting at England copying Quins style of game management... I'd rather see Dickson in there chucking it around than Care and Youngs running down blind alleys because their international team mates haven't a clue where there going,

That's not to say its Danny and Toms fault exactly but I think a game plan where everyone knows what's coming next may needed with a new 4-5 12-13-14 combo

Tiger/Chief wrote:Slightly controversial but I wasn't really getting at England copying Quins style of game management... I'd rather see Dickson in there chucking it around than Care and Youngs running down blind alleys because their international  team mates haven't a clue where there going,

That's not to say its Danny and Toms fault exactly but I think a game plan where everyone knows what's coming next may needed  with a new 4-5 12-13-14 combo

No wonder Youngs hasn't been setting the world alight at scrum half, we've been playing the wrong bloody one in the 9 shirt

If Tom did play 9 then we'd have to pick a game plan around following him around the park

So after Dicksons performance today Care can expect an apology during the week...

I think the issue is that the coach needs to want to play in the style that suits him and Lancaster does not. i think care is the best of the english SHs and I would play him and build the team around him. Petulant little sod and I would never get tired of slapping him tho

Yea I agree with that TJ, although Youngs did bring a more Care-esq intensity to the game. I'd be happy to go back to the Youngs/Care combo (which I didn't think was an issue anyway...)

Aye - Lancaster seems to want to play a very structured and organised game and play players who do what they are told to do.

to me this is Englands failing. to get to be the very best they need what they have now plus some sparkle / unpredictabilty / suprises.

Completely agree. The coaches seem to want a very low risk game which will always be dangerous.

Care has never really stamped his game on the Int scene, he just lacks that extra quality imo.

A top top AP player but a player should be able to adapt and I don't think Care can.

Robson at Gloucester looks like he could jump ahead of Care over the next year or so.

If Lancaster would back him and tell him to boss the game he would be good - but you need a team built around that. he can only l play one way - but he is quick, unpredictable and reads the game well. No good for rugby by numbers

I've never been overly impressed with on the Int stage, I certainly wouldn't want us to build a team around him.

You might be right Sgt but then look at all the chances Youngs gets and how little Care gets. It's difficult to really tell.