England can catch All Blacks: Care

Danny Care believes England possess the time and potential to bridge the gap on New Zealand before next year’s home World Cup.

Hopes of claiming only a third All Blacks scalp on Kiwi soil were dashed by a 3-0 series whitewash that concluded with a harrowing 36-13 rout in the final Test.

It was an undeniable setback despite the fixture congestion that complicated team selection and England now have 12 months left to develop into a team capable of winning the World Cup.

New Zealand, their main rivals for the Webb Ellis trophy, are the first visitors to Twickenham this autumn and Care is convinced they can be caught before the tournament opens in September 2015.

“Results-wise the tour wasn’t successful. We lost three out of three games and that’s not good enough,” the Harlequins scrumhalf said on Wednesday.

“But we play them again in the autumn and we’re on the right track.

“They’re where we’re aiming to get to and we have 12 games before the World Cup in which to get better.

“The younger lads are getting more experienced and this is an incredibly exciting time for us.

“In 12 months’ time we will not be far away from New Zealand.”

Care has won 48 caps since making his debut in 2008 but missed out on selection for New Zealand in 2011, a disappointment that adds extra importance to the looming World Cup year.

He’s made a full recovery from the shoulder injury that prevented him from playing in the third Test against New Zealand.

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