Life After Rugby Equals More Rugby – Danny Care Embarks as HSBC SVNS Ambassador

We caught up with the newest member of the HSBC SVNS Ambassadorial crew (which Bryan Habana dubbed the ‘red polo gang’) as Danny Care, the former England centurion, was on hand at the HSBC Singapore SVNS for his first visit to country and two decades after he himself had represented England 7s and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006.

“I’d say seeing the red-polo ambassadors from HSBC has become synonymous with Sevens Rugby,” said Danny Care in his first role with the iconic brand.

Care retired from professional rugby after representing England 15s more than 100 times and with close to 400 caps for his Premiership Club Harlequins, at the end of the season in May 2025.

“It was genuinely on my bucket list of post-playing things to do, to try and come and do some cool stuff with HSBC. I appreciate that I am very lucky to come here as an ambassador and see this incredible city and what they do with it.

It’s been amazing, the ‘Let’s SVNS this city’ – I think it’s been a really cool slogan. I’ve got to experience the ‘Culture of Community’ firsthand in Singapore, and we’ve been in and around coaching at the schools and in the community here and had fun by being in little side cars going all around the city.”

‘Let’s SVNS this city’ is a celebration of the network of cities that make up the international Series, a spotlight on the unique qualities of each event and the fans that attend.

Along with Alicia Lucas and Rachael Burford, all medal winners at the highest levels, the trio have been treated to sports, HSBC corporate events, a plethora of delicious cuisine and some pre-Chinese New Year Celebrations.

“Everyone’s been so friendly, so welcoming. What I’ve loved is the appetite for rugby. It probably has surprised me a little bit, because everywhere we’ve gone, people have just come up to us to chat about rugby. And there are so many people working at the grassroots level and community levels, really passionate about driving rugby here,” said Care.

“There are a lot of Marcus Smith fans, which is amazing. And Marcus used to play for a club here too (The Centaurs), so it’s been great to connect with everyone. The food’s been brilliant, and everyone just seems happy here. Singapore is definitely a friendly place. People come here on holiday and then don’t end up leaving.”

Photo Credit – HSBC Singapore

Why is Sevens Rugby Important?

HSBC SVNS is the growth engine of the sport, and HSBC continues to be there for the sport as the supportive and vocal partner supporting that growth, as it has for two decades.

Of the HSBC SVNS Rugby itself, Danny Care was blown away by the action on the field, too, and the innovations at play.

“Its incredible. Some of the athletes out there are just showcasing their talent in this sport and the women’s sport. Obviously, back in England, we have the Red Roses doing an incredible job of getting that exposure everywhere. And a lot of girls are playing on the PWR, and some of them are playing out here today in the HSBC SVNS, representing different countries. 

But I love the sport. I love Sevens. It was something when I was a kid, I watched a lot of and then got the opportunity to represent England and come to incredible places such as Hong Kong, Wellington, LA and then got the honour of representing England at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.”

Photo Credit – World Rugby

He explained, “Sevens has got a massive place in my heart. I would say to anyone who’s a young rugby player, play some sevens and fifteens, because it is a different sport, it puts you under the most surreal amount of pressure when you are absolutely hanging in the game, because cardiovascularly, it’s incredibly tough.”

Danny Care seamlessly promotes the players on the pitch who innovate and take risks, as he has been there in that spotlight. 

“I’ve got some common experience as a young, 17-18-19 year-old kid playing in the stadiums, and there’s 50,000 people putting you under that sort of scrutiny, that pressure, one mistake could cost you a game. So I learned an awful lot. I think a lot of us lads went through at that time, like Matthew Tate, Tom Varnell, Magnus Lund and Ben Youngs – We all came through the Sevens system. 

I don’t want to say it is a stepping stone because I think that kind of puts down the Sevens. But it is a pathway, though. It was almost a rite of passage, and you are able to transfer that to the 15s game. Mike Friday and Ben Ryan were my coaches at the time and put me on the right path.”

How has Danny Care Found the Transition to Post-Playing?

“I do consider myself really lucky in that I managed to drag out my career as long as I possibly could. I always wanted to play rugby as long as I could, as long as I was adding to the team, and if I was still enjoying it. 

With that, and being a very old player, in the end, I’d seen so many lads and girls transition out of the game and in very different capacities. Some have done it really well. Some have done it badly, some that it had been forced upon. 

So I do consider myself very fortunate. I got to choose my own exit. I tried to put as many things in place as I could, to then have things to go and do when I’ve stopped.”

Aside from his new role as an HSBC Ambassador on the SVNS circuit, he remains actively involved in the sport in various capacities. 

Photo Credit – HSBC Singapore

“I’m very fortunate that rugby is still a massive part of my life. My mates have probably struggled a little bit most when rugby has just been cut out completely. So the opportunity to work with HSBC was something that I really wanted to do. I am still involved with Harlequins as an ambassador.

I worked on getting into a school to do some coaching, so I’ve got my fix as a rugby coach. I work two days a week, with age groups from 11 to 18, which I absolutely love. So I have a little access to them all. 

And then I have the opportunity with TNT broadcasting to do some punditry and podcasting. I’ve kind of tried to line up a fair few things, give it my all in all of them, and then kind of work out what my partner is. I’m still unsure, probably where that will eventually finish, but I’ve also enjoyed being around family a lot.

They’ve sacrificed so much for me. I have always tried to make them my priority, but sometimes you can’t. They are 100% now the priority, and it’s really nice to be able to say yes to stuff now, because when you’re playing, you can’t always do that.”

Why HSBC Has Been a Good Fit?

As we sat in a nice plush HSBC suite looking down on the National Stadium in Singapore, he said, “HSBC has 20-plus years of engagement in Sevens. The growth of the women’s game is really inspiring to be around, and I love the fact that they get into the community to try and inspire. So we’ve loved visiting Dover School here, and we have been to other places too.

It is great to see the appetite to create opportunities for young people to play rugby and see that rugby is perhaps a sport they could try. It brings people together, bringing connections and connectivity. It was something that was on the list that I’d love to do. I’ve loved being a part of it. And hopefully there are a few more to come.”

You can see more of his experiences in Singapore at HSBC Sport.

Photo Credit – World Rugby

Where Else Would Be On Danny Care’s Bucket List For The HSBC SVNS?

Considering he played at the famous Hong Kong Sevens, Danny Care said he would love to go in a non-playing capacity. As someone who played the game, Danny is a fan of the sport-meets-entertainment nature of the series as he’s witnessed in Singapore, and he hopes to see it in other locations on the HSBC SVNS Series. 

“Hong Kong, I’d love to go and experience it as a fan. I was probably only 18, and I was very naive and excited when I played there. I was very excited after the game. We got knocked out fairly early. One of the older boys put his arm around us and pointed at the South Stand and said, ‘That’s where we go’.

I don’t remember an awful lot after it, but just the prestige of it, of somewhere like Hong Kong, I’d love to go back and experience that as a punter, or as an HSBC ambassador.”

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