Danny Care is not sure exactly how often he and Mike Brown played in the same rugby team, but believes it is close to 350 times for Harlequins and England.
Friday night at The Stoop, then, will be unfamiliar territory, as Care and Brown line up on opposite sides for the first time ever.
Brown made 351 appearances for Quins, a record, before leaving last year. He moved to Newcastle in peculiar circumstances, as he was denied a playing farewell, having been suspended for Quins’ dizzying run to the title.
After a solid season up north, Brown is looking for another new club for next year. Care, meanwhile, is second on Quins’ appearances list and catching Brown. Last Friday, Care went past Brown’s try-scoring tally with his 100th for the club in the 29-21 win over Worcester. Their careers have run parallel.
“I have never played a game against Browny,” Care tells Standard Sport. “I reckon we’ve played 350 games together. Never against each other. It will be weird.
“We still talk a lot and I hope to see him after the game. I hope he plays well, but not so well they win. It’ll just be great to have him back at The Stoop.
“I can’t wait to see the reception he gets because while he got a good send-off, the crowd will love to see him. And I know he’ll be pumped for it.”
Quins welcome back another stalwart, Joe Marler, who starts at loose-head. After a run of three successive defeats, they are back to third in the table having won their last two.
“This season it’s so hard to get in that top four,” says Care.
“If you have a bad run, you have to find a way out of it quickly. We did that, losing three in a row, but we’ve had two wins, both bonus points. We need to stay in the hunt for the top four.
“Newcastle is a very big game. We have targeted these last few games. Newcastle will be nuggety, hard to break down, physical.”
