Danny Care is dropped by England for Six Nations campaign

 

Care made his England debut in 2008

England have dropped Danny Care from their forthcoming Six Nations campaign following his arrest for drink-driving on New Year's Eve.

"I made a very bad decision on the evening and need to take the punishment the courts hand out," said the scrum-half, 25, who has won 32 England caps.

Three weeks ago he was reprimanded by England coach Stuart Lancaster after an arrest for being drunk and disorderly.

And Lancaster described the latest incident as "completely unacceptable".

The England boss added: "When we feel he can be trusted to behave appropriately on and off the field then he will be reconsidered for selection."

DANNY CARE IN BRIEF

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• Born Leeds, 2 January 1987
• 2003: Signs for Leeds Tykes
• 2006: Makes England Sevens debut
• 2006: Joins Harlequins
• 2008: Makes England debut v Barbarians, Twickenham
• 2008: Wins first England cap v New Zealand, Auckland
• England caps: 32
• Tries: 3
• Drop-goals: 1

Care, who is is due to appear in court on 16 January, missed last year's World Cup because of a toe injury.

He scored a try for Harlequins in their 11-9 victory against Exeter on 31 December, but was arrested in the early hours of the following morning and found to have approximately twice the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

The scrum-half added: "I have 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 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.

"Quins and Stuart [Lancaster] 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.

Hard work ahead - Lancaster

"I 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."

Last month, Lancaster, who nurtured Care's development when in charge of the Leeds academy, was named interim England coach for the Six Nations, which begins on 4 February.

He replaced Martin Johnson, who stepped down following a disappointing World Cup.

England were eliminated at the quarter-final stage and were beset by a number of off-field controversies.

After being appointed head coach, Lancaster said: "From my point of view, my focus is getting the team together and planning the January camp. It is absolutely crucial in terms of turning [our performances] around and improving the culture."

Asked if he was a disciplinarian, he added: "I am. I do believe that behaviour shapes performance and the environment. From our point of view, we want to make sure there are clear ground rules and clear non-negotiables. We'll work with the senior players on that."