Lancaster Sticks To His Principles

When he was officially unveiled as the acting replacement for Martin Johnson as England head coach, Stuart Lancaster was quick to let everyone know that he and his team will not stand for any behaviour either on or off the pitch that could or would reflect badly on the team and the game.

As well as a show of fortitude to the press and the public, it was also a warning to any prospective England player to buck up their ideas if they fancy a chance playing for their country.

But already, Danny Care has taken it upon himself to test the resolve of the newly installed coach, and found that there is no flexibility.

Having been reprimanded for being drunk and disorderly before Christmas and after Harlequins Heineken Cup defeat to Toulouse at the Stoop, Care has again been caught, this time areested drink driving on New Years Eve.

 Danny Care won't be playing at the 6 Nations

Care, 25, is due to appear in court on January 16th and has commented "I made a very bad decision on the evening and need to take the punishment the courts hand out".  Whatever that outcome turns out to be, he has already found out that he is not being considered in any way for England's plans for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament with Lancaster describing the incident as "completely unacceptable" and adding "When we feel he can be trusted to behave appropriately on and off the field then he will be reconsidered for selection."

So Lancaster is pulling no punches and if it wasn't clear before, it will surely be now. 

Maybe Care was making up for not being at the World Cup where England conducted themselves poorly off the pitch and not much better on it?

In any case, he will miss his second consecutive major tournament at a time when he is in good form with his Harlequin team and would be pushing the likes of Ben Young for a starting place.  His lesson must surely now be learned.