News about Danny Care

NIK SIMON: The future of the Six Nations on the BBC remains in doubt after a record price tag of £100million a year was slapped on the competition's UK broadcast rights. The existing four-year deal, worth £90m per year, expires in March and the tender process is due to begin imminently, with interested parties preparing to pitch. With budgets stretched and appetites changing under new leadership at the BBC, the competition's free-to-air status hangs in the balance.

Sale's promotional campaign for their Premiership season-launching clash in Salford on Sunday featured pictures of Ford and Smith. But the box-office duel will be limited by the fact that Smith has been named on the Quins bench, along with his veteran half-back partner Danny Care. England coaches Kevin Sinfield and Richard Wigglesworth will be in attendance, but they will see Ford line up opposite Welshman Jarrod Evans.

Jack Van Poortvliet has been recalled by England and is on track to reignite his Test career after being forced to miss the World Cup due to a serious ankle injury. The 23-year-old Leicester scrum-half had been the country's pre-eminent No 9 until he sustained major ligament damage during the summer warm-up clash with Wales at Twickenham last August. In his absence, Alex Mitchell of Northampton seized the opportunity to claim a place in the tournament squad and went on to become the undisputed starter, with Danny Care acting as his under-study.

CHRIS FOY: The league phase of the Premiership season will reach a thunderous climax on Saturday afternoon, when five games kick off simultaneously at 3.05pm across the country. Remarkably, seven clubs are still in the title hunt, after 17 rounds of fixtures. It is a resounding tribute to the competitive nature of English rugby's top division. Northampton are already assured of a home semi-final and champions Saracens are certain of a play-off, but still must ensure it takes place at their StoneX Stadium. Bath, Sale, Exeter, Harlequins and Bristol are all vying to make the cut.

ALEX BYWATER: Ollie Chessum will miss England's crucial tour matches with New Zealand this summer after underdoing successful surgery on a shoulder injury. The Leicester Tigers forward - who can play at both lock and blindside flanker - has emerged as a key figure for club and country since making his international debut in the 2022 Six Nations.

Danny Care has signed a new contract with Harlequins which will see the former England scrum-half extend his stay at the London club into a 19th season. As exclusively revealed by Mail Sport early last month, the 37-year-old decided to reject lucrative offers from France to commit to another year at Quins, who he joined from Leeds way back in 2006.  Care held talks with Bayonne and Perpignan, who are understood to have offered him £400,000 per year for two years, but he has chosen instead to remain at The Stoop. 

European Rugby bosses are yet to agree a new television deal with TNT Sports for next season but hosting 'destination' Champions Cup semi-finals is a new idea being considered. TNT - previously known as BT Sport - are the main British broadcast partner of the European game's premier competition. This season they have shown every Champions Cup match live. TNT are also the Gallagher Premiership's principal TV partner. Last month, they confirmed an expansion into international rugby and committed to delivering all 21 Autumn Nations Series fixtures later this year live, including England's matches with New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON: Fin Baxter looks down the River Thames from his flat in Teddington, pointing out the pathway that eventually leads to Craven Cottage. When Harlequins do not have a game, the young prop digs out his Fulham season ticket, dreaming of a day when his team overtake Chelsea. 'I go with my school friend, Harry Cain,' he explains. 'We meet in East Putney and catch the bus over Putney Bridge. We're happy to be cementing ourselves in the Premier League. Mid-table Fulham is better than yo-yo Fulham. We're going to catch Chelsea!

CHRIS FOY: England scrum-half Raffi Quirke and his evolving brand of 'Hollywood brilliance' helped Sale fend off a dangerous Harlequins fightback to stay in the hunt for a place in the Premiership play-offs. In 2021, he was in the right place at the right time to score a match-winning try against South Africa at Twickenham and this time, he was well-placed to capitalise on a telling intervention by fellow replacement Tom O'Flaherty.

XCLUSIVE BY CHRIS FOY: Danny Care is expected to decline lucrative offers from France in order to commit a new one with Harlequins, which will see him finish his stellar service at the London club. After winning 101 Test caps in almost 16 years of national service, the 37-year-old scrum-half retired from England service after the recent Six Nations. Care has been dealing with a slew of issues surrounding what is likely to be his last playing deal since then.

ALEX BYWATER: Natasha 'Mo' Hunt is adamant age, and she is inspired by fellow scrum-half Danny Care as she plots Six Nations and World Cup glory with the Red Roses. Hunt, 35, was a surprise departure from England Women's squad for the 2022 global showpiece in New Zealand, a competition in which her co-mates were defeated by the hosts in the final. Hunt, who is now back in action as a central figure for her nation, is in the form of her career, both with Gloucester-Hartpury and abroad.

CHRIS FOY: It was announced that he would play for the famous multi-national team against Fiji in June, just days after Danny Carey announced his retirement from Test rugby. Care will be coached by Robbie Deans, the Kiwi who was previously in charge of Australia, for a high-profile English contingent within a Barbarians squad.

Danny Care isn't finished playing rugby, though he does have another season in him, maybe even two. But now that he has retired from Tests, it is time to pay tribute to this one-man antidote to modern-day sporting cynicism. The 37-year-old scrum-half, who gained 101 England caps over the course of almost 16 years, embodied precisely what people want from those who represent them. He just adored it. He was ardently committed to national service. He adored it. He was addicted to it. And if the door had been locked and bolted by Eddie Jones, he couldn't and wouldn't allow it to go. Well, he may not have minded being paid for his services, but that wasn't what it was all about for Care. He had a natural desire to serve for his country, but this did not diminish as time went. If anything, it was raised. He did not become a cynical figure who simply went through the motions, and that can happen in some instances. Once he had the added challenge of performing in front of his three young children, the hunger subsided and even increased.

Danny Care, a scrum-half for Harlequins and England, has announced his retirement from international rugby. During this year's Guinness Six Nations, the Leeds-born 37-year-old, who has a record 369 Quins appearances, appeared in all five of England's matches, including his 100th cap in the 23-22 victory over Ireland. On Instagram, he wrote, "To play for England was a dream come true." I'd never imagined that I'd get the opportunity to do it over 100 times in my wildest hopes.

CHRIS FOY: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso exudes the same positive energy when he talks as he does when he plays, so he was full of enthusiasm and admiration after leading England's win over Ireland. It's a fairy tale,' said Exeter's 21-year-old wing sensation, who has barely touched the ground running at international level.' 'My first game against Ireland was a huge win.' Marcus (Smith) recovered from injury, leading to a big drop-goal win. Danny Carey's 100th Test victory, a major win. For a lot of us, it's a fairy tale. "It's class." Nothing like it. It's ecstasy. It was mad when the drop-goal came back. It didn't look real. It was also emotional. The whole experience was wild, from ups and downs to the stadium's 'Swing Low'.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: I wrote before the game that England had no chance of winning and that the game was about being competitive against what I think is the best team in the world. For England to win, they'd have to play near the perfect game. Although England defeated Ireland, I still think they will do even better. What a fantastic spot for the team to be in. They were unfounded. Borthwick's men can and must also bring more impetus to their conduct. However, there can be no doubt that this Twickenham triumph against a team as strong as Ireland is a major step forward for everyone in English rugby. This victory would be a big lift for Borthwick fans, I'm sure.

England put on a superb showing to defeat Ireland 23-22, putting an end to the visitor's hopes of competing in the Six Nations Grand Slams for the second time. Marcus Smith scored an inch-perfect drop goal in the dying moments of the dramatic match at Twickenham, bringing the home fans into raptures. The importance of bouncencing back from losing at Murrayfield last time.

This player may have been a regular member of Steve Borthwick's England squad in 2024, but almost 20 years ago, he may have been preparing for Ireland ahead of the team's Six Nations match on Saturday. The heavily decorated player had split loyalties for a while, until a youth rugby team treated him properly. Here, the player weighs in on the highly awaited Twickenham tussle. Can you guess who it might be?

CHRIS FOY: England seems to have crossed the road as they brace for a showdown with Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday. They have reached a difficult junction, in fact, all the lights are off, and they don't have a map. When Steve Borthwick took over the national team in December 2022, the buzz word was 'clarity,' and that was achieved with a narrow game-plan at the new World Cup.

ALEX BYWATER: As the aspiring doctor prioritizes his continuing medical education, England wing tyro Immanuel Feyi-Waboso will miss the national side's three-day training camp in York this week. After a breakthrough season with Exeter, Feyi-Waboso has burst on to the international stage in this Six Nations. In the round one victory over Italy, he made his Test debut. After coming off the bench, the 21-year-old, who was born in Cardiff but qualifies for England through family connections, scored his first try in England's Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland last weekend.

CHRIS FOY: The investigation and repair work will be comprehensive, no doubt, but after this tragedy at Murrayfield, it is impossible to imagine how England will find quick fixes before Ireland visits Twickenham with another Slam in their sights. Well, this latest loss to Scotland has ended their Six Nations title hopes, ironically. They are stumbling toward a potential campaign win of two wins from five games, which is disappointing. Explicity once more. That is perhaps an inaccurate prediction, but the Irish people will believe that England will be on the field for the taking on March 9, even if they don't have 15 guys on the field this week - and France will be marginal favorites in Lyon a week later, despite their own unconvincing results in this tournament.

MIKE BROWN: You simply can't make as many individual mistakes as England did in their loss to Scotland last night. Since it's nearly impossible to have the perfect game, it's inevitable that you make some mistakes over the course of 80 minutes. However, you must keep them to a minimum. If you don't, smart teams will discipline you. That's what happened with Steve Borthwick's side at Murrayfield. Taking a look at the game's key moments. England's new blitz defense was revealed for Scotland's first attempt, although for me it was an individual rather than a system error.

SIMON AT MURRAYFIELD: Steve Borthwick stepped out of the safety of his coaching box and gazed forward with arms folded in Edinburgh's final minute, in close proximity to the audience. Every Scottish fan had a chance to goad him one by one. After watching his team suffer a slow torture in a bed of thistles, they erupted sarcastically, cheering and thanks for arriving. England put on a show that lacked intelligence and a sense of urgency. After an error, aimless kick after a goalless kick, there was a mistake. This is the first time England has lost four straight Calcutta Cup games since 1896, and the ardent Scottish supporters are already yelling for their opponents to be booted out of the Six Nations. Tongue in cheek, of course, because they will sorely miss their annual triumph over the Auld Enemy.

NIK SIMON IN EDINBURGH: George Furbank has been given a late start in England's Calcutta Cup match against Scotland. Furbank hasn't started a Test since 2022, but Freddie Steward has been recalled in the No. 15 jersey. England is bracing for the unpredictable attacking capabilities of Scotland's No 10 Finn Russell - and Furbank's attacking skills could be highly suited to an unstructured game.