Danny Care: It's 'dream come true' to be back in the England set-up

Danny Care declared his shock England return a 'dream come true' and then sent a clear message to Eddie Jones by insisting he is better now than when he was last a Test player.

Veteran Harlequins scrum-half Care was part of head coach Jones' 36-man party who departed on Tuesday for Australia and a crunch three-Test series against the Wallabies. 

Care, 35, is set to feature in his first international since November 2018 Down Under. He appeared off the bench as England were hammered 52-21 by the Barbarians in a non-capped clash last Sunday.

He said: 'The whole week has been a dream come true. It's something you think will never happen again. I've just tried to enjoy it and love every second. When you've been in it like I was for quite a while, you appreciate you're playing for England. 

'When you can't do that any more and can't get back in, it makes you want it even more. I don't know how long it's going to last, but one thing that I'll do is make sure I give it my all. Any opportunity I get I'll try to take it.

'I definitely think I'm a better player now than I was four years ago, even three years ago. The main thing I've been trying to focus on is enjoyment. It frees me up when I'm not thinking about things too much. That's my type of game. When I overthink stuff, I don't play my best rugby.'

A coffee with Jones was the start of the scrum-half's international return and Care is now set to play a crucial role against Australia.

Ben Youngs is not part of the tour following the tragic death of sister-in-law Tiffany, who was married to Ben's brother Tom, the former England hooker. Harry Randall and the uncapped Jack van Poortvliet are the other two scrum-halves.

But neither possesses the international nous of Care or the