Danny Care dropped as Eddie Jones hands Richard Wigglesworth role as Ben Youngs’ deputy

Missing out: Danny Care has been dropped
Action Images via Reuters
Will Macpherson19 November 2018

Eddie Jones has dropped scrum-half Danny Care for England’s final match of the year, but has been boosted by the selection in his squad of Manu Tuilagi, Chris Ashton and Nathan Hughes.

Jones has selected a training squad of 28 for the week leading up to the clash against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday, but it does not include Care, Zach Mercer and Alex Lozowski, who both started in the struggle of a win over Japan at HQ two days ago.

Lozowski is replaced by Piers Francis, the Northampton inside centre, while Richard Wigglesworth, who impressed off the bench on Saturday, is selected over Care, who is Ben Youngs’ regular understudy at scrum-half.

Jones has long hoped Tuilagi would be fit to face Australia, but the Leicester centre has not played Test rugby since the 2016 Six Nations and not started since 2014. The head coach has always said that Tuilagi must be 100 per cent fit to take his place in the matchday squad.

Ashton left the field in the first half against Japan with a calf injury, but makes the squad alongside three other wings — Joe Cokanasiga, who scored on his debut on Saturday, Jonny May and Jack Nowell. With Mike Brown overlooked, Elliot Daly is again the only specialist full-back, but Jones said he would like to try Henry Slade in that position.

Hughes has spent the opening salvoes of this series suspended but is available again and could slot straight back in at No8, where Mark Wilson impressed in the opening two games before moving to open-side flanker. Ted Hill, the teenage apprentice who made his debut on Saturday, makes the squad but Mercer, the Bath No8, makes way for Hughes.

Jones experimented with his selection against Japan but, after performances only really improved when he summoned the cavalry from the bench, he looks set to revert to his usual starters.

In Pictures | England vs Japan | 17/112018

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Youngs is among those rested against Japan who are back in the squad, as well as May, Ben Te’o and Brad Shields. Youngs and Care have long held a strong starter-finisher partnership, but Care put in a sluggish performance — despite an early try — when handed a start on Saturday and has been overtaken by Wigglesworth.

It remains to be seen whether the Quins veteran will go the same way as other experienced campaigners such as his club-mate Brown, James Haskell and Dan Cole, all of whom Jones has overlooked.

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