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.
