Lancaster plans talks with Care
Lancaster plans talks with Care
England coach Stuart Lancaster is set to meet with Danny Care in the wake of the Harlequins scrum-half's latest run-in with the police for a drink-related incident.
Care found himself in hot water for the third time in as many months when after being caught urinating on the steps of a Leeds hotel in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Lancaster, who suspended Care from the England squad after he was conviction for drink-driving, will meet with the 25-year-old to discuss the damage these incidents are doing to his international prospects.
The interim England boss has known Care since he was a teenager in the Leeds academy set-up and is confident he does not have a drinking problem.
"It is another unfortunate incident that could and should have been avoided," said Lancaster, echoing a statement from Harlequins on Monday.
"I'll be meeting him as soon as possible about the decisions he's making and how it's affecting his chances of coming back and playing for England.
"We need to do that to make sure we rebuild the trust and we need to do that.
"I don't think he's got a long-term problem. I want to sit down with him like Conor (O'Shea, Harlequins director of rugby) to make sure he makes better decisions in the future.
"Long term I think he's got a future (with England) but short term obviously we made the decision he would not take part in the Six Nations and nothing has changed."
Care has blamed this latest incident on a "small bladder" rather than "excessive drinking" and Harlequins has vowed to support their player.
"After last Friday evening's match at Newcastle, our players were given a week off and Danny went to spend a few days with his parents at their home in Leeds," said O'Shea.
"On Saturday evening, he went out with some friends in the city and took a taxi home. He was caught short and stopped the taxi to relieve himself.
"The situation Danny finds himself in is unfortunate and is one that could and should have been avoided.
"We have no intention of doing anything other than supporting Danny and continuing to work with him so he understands his position and the decisions he makes."
Harlequins added Care will continue his role within the club's inner city Hitz Project and his work with the Prince's Trust.
.jpg "Andre Esterhuizen scored the opening try for Harlequins")
