World Cup: England's Danny Care says he 'never gave up hope'

Veteran scrum-half Danny Care says he "never gave up hope" of playing at another World Cup after being named in England's squad for France 2023.

The 36-year-old has won 87 caps but made only one World Cup appearance - a win over Uruguay in 2015 after England had been knocked out.

Care, one of three scrum-halves in Steve Borthwick's 33-man squad, said his selection is a "dream come true".

"It has been a rollercoaster of World Cup camps for me," he said.

Injury kept him out of the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, he did not play in England's first three group games at their home tournament in 2015 and he was overlooked by Eddie Jones in Japan in 2019.

Care told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast: "In 2011 I was named in the squad but got injured in a warm-up game and didn't make the plane to New Zealand. In 2015 I was in the squad but didn't play an awful lot. In 2019 I didn't even make a pre-World Cup camp.

"Did I think I would be here in 2023? If you had asked me a couple years ago, probably not.

"But I never gave up that hope. The dream was always still there. I would like to play as many World Cup games as I possibly can."

Care was recalled by Jones for England's successful tour of Australia last summer before missing out on this year's Six Nations following Borthwick's appointment.

"To get back into the Australia tour and then to miss out on the Six Nations, you think it's probably a 'no'," Care said.

"But then Steve picks up the phone and I jumped at the chance. To be named in the squad is a dream come true again."

Care is Harlequins' all-time appearance record holder after joining in 2006.

"I'm a better player than four years ago," he said. "I'm still learning at 36 from these coaches, who are brilliant with the detail they have put into it.

"I feel like a young kid again, eager to soak up everything I can from Steve and (defence coach) Kevin Sinfield, who was a bit of a hero of mine growing up as a Leeds Rhinos fan, and Wiggy (assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth)."

Care was in competition with Wigglesworth as Ben Youngs' back-up at the 2015 World Cup.

Eight years on, Care will vie for the number nine shirt with Youngs and his Leicester team-mate Jack van Poortvliet.

"He is so good," Care said of Wigglesworth. "We have always said he was ready to be a coach and he was like that as a player. He has stepped into it so well.

"It is great to pick his brains. He is the best box-kicker I have ever seen and he is helping me with that.

"I have loved it. I know the coaches can make me a better player, I know my body better, I know what I can hopefully give to this team and I'm ready to give it a go."

England begin their World Cup campaign against Argentina on 9 September at 20:00 BST in Marseille.

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