Danny Care brilliant inside flick sets up Matt Hopper try vs Clermont

Harlequins lost 16-13 to Clermont in the Heineken Cup on Saturday but one of the moments of the match came from Quins scrumhalf Danny Care, who produced a piece of magic for Matt Hopper’s try. Care unfortunately limped off later with an ankle injury.

Care set up Hopper’s try with a superb piece of skill after a Chris Robshaw kick ahead, but later in the game he injured his ankle and now faces a race for fitness ahead of the Six Nations. Coach Conor O’Shea praised his attacking instinct that gave Quins a 13-3 lead.

“We didn’t start particularly well but then a piece of absolute genius from Danny changed the energy our way and we were pretty much on top for the rest of the first half,” said O’Shea.

“Danny’s piece of skill was quite exceptional. You can’t practice that. He gave us a bit of momentum and he’s a game changer.”

Clermont came back with a try to Napolioni Nalaga, and then fellow Fijian Sitiveni Sivivatu scored to level things at 13-13 before Brock James slotted an easy penalty late in the game.

As a result Clermont have reached the last eight, while Harlequins are now effectively out the running. This excellent try, that included a chip ahead by a forward, will live long in the memory.