by Few players have heard more Calcutta Cup pipes over the years than Danny Care. His first encounter with Scotland was in the Six Nations in 2009 and Saturday’s meeting will be his 99th test match for England. If any of the investigator’s colleagues have personal advice about Murrayfield and how to survive it, look no further.
It is one of the reasons why the 37-year-old is still in the national squad; Steve Borthwick wanted a few happy people to set the tone for future generations. Boy Danny is now an elder statesman who has been picked for his experience in high-pressure environments, particularly following Ben Youngs’ Test retirement and Northampton’s Alex Mitchell’s untimely knee injury last week.
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That doesn’t mean much, though, if a player loses his motivation or mojo or whatever keeps him hungry for more. For Care the package is tailor-made: he credits his continued longevity to “cookies and saunas” and admits that English nutritionists have not always been his closest allies. “I’ve always been lucky in that I wasn’t really into nutrition and I totally believe in it, which the nutritionists hate me for.
“Cookies and saunas … why it doesn’t work. I don’t think I’ve cracked it but I’m 37 and I like to think I’ve shown another way to do it, other than all the protein and supplements every day. The thing is, everyone is different. What works for me doesn’t work for Dan Cole or Joe Marler. I have always said that I play a different sport to those boys; what they do is ridiculous. You have to find out what works for you.”
As a schoolboy footballer who played in the same Sheffield Wednesday junior team as Jamie Vardy, Care has always had a natural athleticism but, unlike a champion jockey, he is now first in the sauna whenever England are at their -five star Bagshot hotel.
“The sauna and the ice bath are our best friends. It’s great when you have that on your doorstep and have the time to do it.
“When I’m at home I can’t go out for a few hours to ‘recover’. My wife would … well, she wouldn’t be my wife anymore. But when you’re here, you can be selfish in that way. I’ve definitely put more emphasis on my recovery over the past few years. I feel better now than I did four or five years ago.”
Mentally he also now understands “what I have to do to be ready for Saturday’s peak” but, equally, it wouldn’t be human if his mind didn’t wander towards the possibility of a 100th cap of the month next, seemingly endless anticipation. Eddie Jones suddenly joined in November 2018. “I’ve always thought I’d love to do it. Then I thought: ‘That’s done now, that won’t happen.’
“Now you’re like: ‘Oh, the nervous nineties.’ It is the greatest honor to play for England once; if i could do it 100 times it would be incredible. But if I’m looking too far ahead, I’m not going to give the team what they need on Saturday.” Sure, but what are his plans after this season? “I’ll be honest, I really don’t know. In the next few weeks I think I’ll know, maybe, what I’m doing long-term.”
Whenever the final curtain falls, the long-serving Harlequin will be looking to go out on a high. England have only beaten Scotland once in their last six attempts and will need to raise their game to do so. Bath’s Ollie Lawrence is set to return at 12 ahead of Fraser Dingwall with George Martin and, possibly, Manu Tuilagi also pushing for inclusion in the 23. In Mitchell’s absence, Care will also play an influential role in a significant game for both. teams.
So what will he tell the Murrayfield newbies? “It’s a great place to play. When you watch the Six Nations as a kid, you see games like this and you want to play in them. When you do, you realize how special they are.
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“It’s never easy up there. I love getting off the bus and hearing the passion of their supporters. It’s loud because they care so much. They are dying for their team to win, and we are dying for our team to go up there and win.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that they’ve been better than us the last few times we’ve played them. They are a team that should probably sit two out of two [this season] and I’m sure they think they should be. They have magic in the half, some quality players who can finish and some big boys who can punish you.
“My advice to our young lads? Just enjoy it and accept it. You never know when you won’t be able to play in these games anymore.”
