As Danny Care is finally discovering, good things come to those who wait. The scrum-half has made 87 appearances for England and first played Test rugby 15 years ago but he has yet to feature in a meaningful World Cup game. One solitary winning appearance in a “dead” pool game against Uruguay in Manchester in 2015 is hardly the stuff of schoolboy dreams.
All credit to the 36-year-old then for keeping going in the face of recurring adversity. Back in 2011 a broken foot sustained in a warm-up game against Wales in Cardiff ruled him out of that year’s World Cup, a disappointment compounded by the fact he had already paid for his parents to attend the tournament. They had a lovely time in New Zealand but their son stayed at home, crutches by his side.
Four years later, England failed to make it to the knockout stages and, the Uruguay match apart, Care was again a frustrated spectator. Then in 2019, Eddie Jones opted for Willi Heinz and, belatedly, Ben Spencer as his back-up scrum-halves in Japan. His big-time England career seemed to have ended in a Care-less whisper.
This explains his fresh determination to repay Steve Borthwick’s faith and sidestep any last-minute August mishaps. England have retained only three scrum-halves in camp so, barring accidents, Care will be off to France. Instead of sitting behind a podcast microphone, he is desperately keen to make up for lost time out on an international field.
Jac Morgan will captain Wales against England on Saturday in what is effectively the first of three World Cup leadership auditions.
The 23-year-old Ospreys flanker [pictured] takes charge for Wales' opening tournament warm-up game in Cardiff. Wales then go to Twickenham before hosting South Africa – and there is likely to be a different skipper each time as head coach Warren Gatland considers his options.
Fly-half Dan Biggar and locks Adam Beard and Will Rowlands are among the more realistic candidates. Should Morgan or 24-year-old hooker Dewi Lake get the World Cup nod, it would echo Gatland's decision to make 22-year-old Sam Warburton captain in 2011.
"We've named Jac as captain for this match, and it is a great honour for him to be leading his country," Gatland said. "We will be looking at probably having a different captain for each of the matches as we give as many as possible in the squad an opportunity to impress."
The Cardiff props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti and Gloucester centre Max Llewellyn will make their debuts on Saturday, with the uncapped Taine Plumtree and ex-England prop Henry Thomas among Gatland's replacements.
Wales side to face England Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Max Llewellyn, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies; Corey Domachowski, Ryan Elias, Keiron Assiratti, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Jac Morgan (c), Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Henry Thomas, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, Tomos Williams, Dan Biggar, Mason Grady.
“I always, probably foolishly, still believed I could do it,” he says. “Watching the Six Nations, commentating on it, you see things that make you think: ‘Ah, I could maybe help there.’”
If anyone is qualified to judge how England’s preparations are going, he is surely the man. Having been recalled by Jones for last year’s tour to Australia, he discerns a much-improved atmosphere around the squad and believes this month’s warm-up fixtures, starting against Wales on Saturday, will further enhance it.
“Even from Australia, the environment feels better. The boys feel closer and on the field there’s a bit more clarity on what we’re trying to do. It is a different vibe and, hopefully, this England team will shock people at this World Cup.
“That is the aim. Attack, defence … the whole thing is more aligned now. I don’t want to big up England too much, because we want to go under the radar. But we’re looking forward to these August games to try to show everyone what we can do.”
Interesting. And with one of his old sparring partners, Richard Wigglesworth, now attached to the squad as attack coach it could be that Care re-emerges as a key figure in an England squad that needs to think quicker on its feet and grasp every opportunity. “Steve has told me I have a genuine chance if I work hard and do the right things.
“There are still times where I do get down, but I am a positive person. I’ve always looked at things glass half-full, you have to be that way in rugby. I’ve been dropped more times than I can imagine. But I try and fight back and prove people wrong. That’s a bit of a motivation for me.
All the short-term family sacrifices will also prove worthwhile if he can engineer a Stuart Broad-style fairytale finish. “When Steve offered me the chance to come in and try and fight for a spot I have never put the phone down more excited. It was my son Blake who had the phone at the time and he said: ‘You probably want to answer that.’
“If I do get to the World Cup I will miss a few family birthdays but I am willing to do that to fight for my dream, which is the glory of trying to win a World Cup. That is why we are all here. That is why I picked a ball up when I was five or six.
“I am still here, 30 years later, trying to do that. I still feel like I enjoy it and still feel I can do it. So I’ll keep going. My missus wants me to play until I’m 40 anyway, to pay the mortgage off.”
