Have Your Say: Lancaster takes strong line and excludes Care

It is a devastating blow for the Harlequins scrum-half who missed last year’s World Cup due to a foot injury but was expected to play a major role this Spring.

He will be doubly disappointed given it was yesterday announced the England Elite Squad will hold a five-day pre-Six Nations training camp at West Park Leeds, his former junior club in Bramhope.

Switching to such an unpretentious venue instead of the planned trip to Portugal is part of Lancaster’s attempt to force some cold reality on England’s players following a dismal World Cup plagued by off-field scandals.

Care’s arrest for drink-driving in the early hours of New Year’s Day – less than three weeks after getting fined by police for being drunk and disorderly – is the sort of controversy and behaviour Lancaster is trying to eradicate from the shamed squad.

He reprimanded the Yorkshireman on the first occasion which occurred in the early hours of December 10, following Harlequins’ Heineken Cup loss to Toulouse.

However, the ex-Leeds Carnegie coach was less understanding after the second indiscretion following their victory over Exeter and, while admitting it was a difficult decision, insists his exclusion from the Six Nations is “correct.”

Lancaster, who played a major role in Care’s development while in charge of the Leeds Tykes Academy, had been looking forward to working with the talented 25-year-old once more.

But he said: “I have met Danny and told him he will not be considered for selection for the Senior or Saxons Elite Player Squads that are due to be announced on January 11 for the forthcoming Six Nations campaign.

“This is his second arrest in three weeks for alcohol-related offences and it is completely unacceptable.

“We will monitor his progress from this event through Harlequins and we have every confidence in the club to support him in the right way.

“At such a time that we feel he can be trusted to behave appropriately on and off the field then he will be reconsidered for selection, but this will not be until the conclusion of the Six Nations as a minimum.

“I didn’t make the decision lightly and I 100 per cent believe Danny will come back a stronger, better person and better player.”

Ironically, given his actions shortly afterwards, Care tweeted on New Year’s Eve: “2012 is hopefully going to be a massive year...Earn respect. Earn the shirt. Set the example.”

A former pupil at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley, he admitted yesterday: “I do accept that I made a very bad decision on the evening in question and need to take the punishment that the courts hand out.

“I’ve decided not to contest the charge as I want to bring this to a close swiftly rather than have it hanging over my head for a year or more. I would stress though that at no time did I think I had drunk enough to be over the legal limit. However, I should not have got into the car and have to accept the consequences of that action.

“I am devastated not to be selected for the elite player squad for the Six Nations as I felt I had been playing near the top of my game with Quins.”

Care – who will plead guilty when he appears in court on January 16, and has been fined £10,000 by his club – continued: “However, I wish the team and the other No 9s who come in to play the best of luck as playing for your country is the highest honour in the game and I will miss it hugely.

“It’s now up to me to get my head down, keep playing well and learn from my actions.

“Quins and Stuart have been very supportive and I totally accept their sanctions.

“I do understand the need for England players to be role models in the game and have tried to live up to that at all times but have made a couple of stupid decisions in the past weeks.

“I can only hope for the chance in the future to prove those decisions were the exception not the rule. I am devastated because my actions have let so many people down.”

Meanwhile, Lancaster has invited England cricket managing director Hugh Morris and British Cycling chief Dave Brailsford to address the squad on elite performance.

Leeds Rhinos prop and England RL captain Jamie Peacock will also speak about what it means to play for England when he meets the players during their camp at the coach’s local club between January 23-27.

Finally, a soldier will recount about fighting for your country as Lancaster tries to remind players how privileged they are ahead of the defence of their title, which starts in Scotland on February 4.

“It (the camp) will allow us to train in conditions that we will be facing up at Murrayfield, create opportunities for the team to stay connected with the public, and allow us to invite in one or two people from outside of rugby to help us shape our future,” he said.

In a further boost, talented Scarlets No 8 Ben Morgan has declared his international allegiance to the Red Rose ignoring the chance to represent Wales.