Care: Dressing down from O'Shea

The England scrum-half was fined an undisclosed but "significant" amount by Harlequins after he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

The 24-year-old was detained at 3am on Saturday in Weybridge following Harlequins' 21-10 Heineken Cup defeat by Toulouse. He was released without charge and paid a fixed penalty fine.

O'Shea believes the off-field incidents that dogged England's World Cup campaign contributed to Care's arrest creating bigger headlines than it deserved.

But Care did break the agreed teamship rules that have underpinned Harlequins' successful start to the season - and O'Shea issued a stark reminder of the responsibilities facing modern-day players after fining the scrum-half.

"We wanted to make a point to the whole group, especially as Chris Robshaw had spoken to everybody as captain that this is a hugely important period," said O'Shea.

"Given the circumstances surrounding everything at the moment, it is probably a bigger news story than it would warrant - but we are very much driven by the values which all the players signed up to.

"From the players' point of view, they are in a new world. They get paid well for it and they have to understand they are role models and behave accordingly.

"We wanted to act to make a point that the values we have up there on the wall are not just words.

"Danny is a great bloke and he is a typical scrum-half, a cheeky chappy. It is a lesson he will learn.

"Danny has apologised. He won't make the same mistake again. The squad all know what the fine is and they won't make that mistake because it is an expensive mistake.

"Rather than have something taken from his pay packet, he will write his own cheque. Hopefully it will make a difference to something tangible."

Care will deliver the cheque to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at University College Hospital in London before Christmas.

England's stand-in coach Stuart Lancaster reprimanded Care but O'Shea was thankful the RFU decided to take no formal disciplinary action against the player.

Given the £15,000 fine handed down to Mike Tindall following his drunken night out during the World Cup, the RFU may have felt pressure to come down hard on Care.

O'Shea said: "I think the RFU were right and proper. We are working incredibly hard to make them better people as well as better rugby players.

"You show me one person who hasn't made a mistake. Values and behaviours are there to give you a pathway and also so that when you make a mistake you can get back on the right path.

"From time to time the odd mistake can show into the group what is meant by proper behaviour - not just lifestyle but physically, technically, tactically, mentally.

"They are all the qualities you want in a rugby player."

Care is pressing to regain the England scrum-half jersey for the Six Nations after missing the World Cup through injury.

"He is playing fantastically well," said O'Shea.

Harlequins suffered their first defeat of the season to Toulouse on Friday and head to the south of France for the return Heineken Cup fixture on Sunday.

O'Shea confirmed prop Joe Marler will miss the game after suffering an abdominal injury.