England legend Danny Care has spoken out after escaping a 'stonewall' second yellow card from referee and former Harlequins team-mate Karl Dickson.
The scrum-half had been sent to the sin bin just six minutes into Quins' Premiership clash with Northampton Saints on Saturday, having made a head-on-head tackle on his ex-England team-mate Courtney Lawes. But after returning to the action, he looked as though he had landed himself in further hot water during the second half.
As Northampton made a break upfield, it was brought to a halt by Care, who appeared to push James Ramm in the back as he approached the breakdown, before diving straight over a ruck to stop his opposite man Alex Mitchell from playing the ball. With his actions preventing a clear opportunity for Saints, it looked like the 37-year-old would be shown a red card, with referee Dickson reaching for his pocket.
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However, the official was then sidetracked by a scuffle that broke out between the two teams and upon review, it was decided that Care would not be yellow-carded after all. The Englishman was then immediately substituted and appeared to smirk as he made his way off the field.
Those on punditry and commentary duties for the game including Lawrence Dallaglio and Brian O'Driscoll, were stunned that Care wasn't given his marching orders, as were fans in the stands at Twickenham. The incident threatened to overshadow the epic contest, which saw Harlequins beat the league leaders 41-32 as they battle for a top four place.
To add to the controversy, the official and player are very well-known to each other having played in the same position for Quins for several seasons. Before becoming a referee, Dickson made 169 appearances for the club as a scrum-half, competing against Care for the starting spot, with his appointment to Saturday's match raising eyebrows amongst fans.
After the full-time whistle sounded, Care was questioned about his relationship with the referee as he watched replays of the controversial incident alongside TNT Sports pundits Dallaglio and Ugo Monye. However, he argued that Dickson had made the right call in not sending him off.
"We’ve been discussing the potential second yellow card that you didn’t get from your old team-mate, Karl Dickson," said Monye. "What did you make of it, Danny?”
Care replied: “I thought the ball was out. I’m trying to get the ball," before admitting: “There was a little fracas after which maybe helped me out.”
However, Dallaglio wasn't convinced, with the former England back row saying: "I spent a lot of time on a yellow card and I can assure you after a line break, that is a stonewall yellow card." Watching a replay of the scrum-half leaving the field, Monye added: "That’s the face of someone that knows he’s got away with one!”
Care did at least admit he was at fault for the hit on Lawes, as he said: "The rules are the rules. He’s a big lad. I don’t know how I got high enough to hit his head. But it’s one of those. I’ve got to get my head out the way and go a bit lower. I'm disappointed in myself there."
