Danny Care sets sights on perfect send-off for ‘proper Harlequins legend’

Danny Care wants to send his departing Harlequins team-mate Will Collier out on a high by sneaking into the semi-finals of the Gallagher Premiership.

While Care has just agreed a new one-year deal to take him into a 19th season with the club, they have announced his long-standing team-mate will be leaving for Castres at the end of the campaign.

That could come as soon as this weekend, with defeat at Exeter last time out leaving Quins in sixth and needing victory over Bristol as well as other results to fall in their favour.

But former England scrum-half Care is not giving up on making one last charge alongside Collier, with the pair having won the title together twice before in 2012 and 2021.

“Every club, at this part of the season, has got that little bit extra you can find to give the best send-off you can to a proper legend and Will Collier is proper Harlequins legend,” he said.

“He’s been with the club 19 years and supported us as a child. It’s a massive move for him and his family and we want to send him out on a high.

“We’d have loved to have got him to a European final, but we’ll do our best to get him into another Premiership semi-final.

“There are a few who are leaving, Andre (Esterhuizen) and Louis Lynagh, and we’d love to give them one more game, hopefully two, as a Harlequin.”

Sentimentality aside, Care has made it clear failing to qualify would represent a poor season for a side with higher expectations of themselves.

“At the end of the day, you remember finals and you remember trophies,” he said.

“We’d love to be in the semi-finals, getting to the big dance and doing something really special that a few of us have done before.

“If we don’t get an opportunity to have a shot at the big one, I would personally say we’d be disappointed. Even though we’ve done some great things to look back on, I think this club should be in the top four of the Premiership.

“I’d love to be here with semi-final locked in, but we are where we are. All we can do is focus on getting a good win at a packed out Stoop; the other stuff will take care of itself.”