Danny Care slams 'joker' who compiled fixtures for new Premiership season

Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care has tweeted his displeasure at next season’s newly released Gallagher Premiership fixture list. In a season that is due to start on November 20, just four weeks after this season’s final, it is due to end June 26.

These are of course unique times, and next season would have had an entirely different complexion without the turmoil that has come with Covid-19, but there are a number of things that people have taken issue with. 

The main concern Care may well have is the congested Christmas period, which sees Harlequins play on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. 

As soon as the fixtures were released in midweek, the former England No9 noticed his side’s fairly intense festive period and referred to the “joker” that compiled the new fixture list. He later deleted the tweet following a flurry of online criticism.  

Quins are due to face Bristol Bears at The Stoop on Boxing Day and then travel to Sixways to take on Worcester Warriors six days later on New Year’s Day. Traditionally, Harlequins would play their Big Game at Twickenham over this period, but with no spectators this year, that is not going ahead.

There have been a few other concerns since the release of the schedule. These range from the short pre-season to the overlapping with the Lions tour, but time is a scarce commodity next season and the calendar needs to accommodate the European competitions as well. 

Indeed, the Premiership Rugby Cup will be shoehorned in as a midweek competition due to the lack of available weekends. 

Further, because of the extensive international calendar over the coming months, clubs will be without their leading England players for eleven of the opening 14 rounds of the new season. 

For now, though, Premiership players still have this season to focus on, with the last round of regular season fixtures this weekend. Harlequins are due a Leicester having lost to Wasps last Monday in what was Chris Robshaw's last home match for the club.