England scrum-half Danny Care retires from international rugby at age of 37

Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care has retired from international rugby after winning 101 caps in a 15-year England career.

The Leeds-born 37-year-old, who has a record 369 Quins appearances, played in all five of England’s matches during this year’s Guinness Six Nations, including his 100th cap in the 23-22 win over Ireland.

Care made his England debut aged 21 back in June 2008 in a defeat to New Zealand on their summer tour and described his time playing for England as a dream come true.

A post shared by Danny Care (@dannycare9)

He posted on Instagram: “To play for England once was a dream come true. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get the opportunity to do it over 100 times.

“After a lot of reflection the past few months, the time feels right for myself and the team, to retire from international rugby.

“The past 12 months in this England team have been arguably my favourite, making memories that my family and I will cherish and remember forever.”

Care, whose final international appearance came nine days ago in the narrow defeat to France in Lyon, is just the sixth player to win 100 caps for the England men’s team.

Only Ben Youngs, Jason Leonard, Dan Cole, Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes have made more international appearances.

Care helped England win three Six Nations titles, including the Grand Slam in 2016.

He also played at two World Cups, in 2015 and 2023, having been dropped by Eddie Jones for the 2019 tournament.

Care made six appearances in last year’s tournament in France, helping the team reach the semi-finals, where they lost by a point to South Africa.

The honour was ours, Danny