England’s scrum-half Danny Care © AFP / Ben Stansall
LONDON, United Kingdom, Nov 19 – Eddie Jones has hailed Danny Care as a creative maestro on a par with Arsenal footballer Alexis Sanchez after the England scrum-half inspired an impressive victory over old rivals Australia.
With England nursing a 13-6 lead at Twickenham on Saturday, Care came off the bench in the final 10 minutes.
The Harlequins star’s arrival sparked a flurry of tries that sealed England’s 30-6 victory.
Spotting the space in Australia’s backfield, Care used his boot to produce tries for Jonathan Joseph and Jonny May before crossing himself in stoppage-time.
The injection of pace and quick thinking were the catalyst England needed and Jones reflected on his display by drawing a comparison with Arsenal’s Chilean playmaker Sanchez.
“Danny brought energy, vibrancy and a bit of creativity,” Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme on Sunday.
“Ben Youngs did a great job for us, but Danny came on at the right time, saw space behind and executed brilliantly.
“He was like a little Sanchez playing for Arsenal, here there and everywhere looking for opportunities. He was very creative.”
Care touched down in the corner of Twickenham where his wife Jodie and son Blake were watching.
Now Care wants to swap the number nine replica jersey worn by Blake to a shirt that reflects his role in the squad.
“He has got a Care nine jersey, but I think it’s Care 21 he needs at the moment!” Care said.
“As a 30 year-old you don’t know how many tries you have left in you so it was great to get over where my family were. It was a nice moment.”
England completed a fifth successive victory over Australia and recorded a 21st win in 22 outings under Jones.
“The scoreline probably flattered us a bit and didn’t really show a true picture of the game,” Care said.
“Australia are a tough team to play against. They’re always like that and you’ve got to play very well to beat them.
“Sometimes you get the rub of the green, decisions go your way and the bounce of a ball maybe misses the white line by a tiny bit.”
