Analysis: Is Tom Curry the answer to England's openside problem?
The England number 7 jersey has resembled a game of musical chairs under the stewardship of Eddie Jones. It has been the most unsettled position as Jones tinkers with solutions to find the right balance of his pack.
Ever since he took the role as England’s head coach he has been vocal about not requiring a specialist openside flanker, stating he sees the requirements of the role differently from a traditional hunter. First and foremost, securing possession off first phase, and quickly, is of utmost importance. This explains why he has opted for big-bodied blindsides who might be superior at cleaning out instead of a natural fetcher type.
The South Africa series saw a number of experiments by Jones, including trialing a specialist 7 for the entire series – young 20-year-old Tom Curry. His selection in all three tests is a clear indication Jones wants to move away from a back-row based on size and power alone, to one with more mobility and the potential to create multiple turnovers.
Against South Africa in the third test, Curry was raw but enthusiastic. His execution of England’s attacking patterns was not quite there but his high work rate around the park in defence and during transition plays gave England a lift in the treacherous conditions.
When conditions are wet and slippery, kicking plays an overbearing part of the game. The transition plays between attack and defence are crucial for an openside, both in recovery work to secure possession and kick chase pressure. Curry did well to secure rucks and offered some counter-attacking running lanes off the ball for England’s return game.
Here as Mike Brown (11) returns the ball, Curry is retreating with his opposite number Pieter-Steph du Toit. Brown is not in an ideal position for Curry to help, he is on the inside shoulder giving du Toit the best leverage. However, Owen Farrell (12) on the outside presents an opportunity to exploit the gap between du Toit and Jesse Kriel. Curry can keep it open with some legal shielding.
As the play develops Mike Brown doesn’t pass, du Toit slips underneath Curry and puts England under pressure by swallowing Brown. Curry’s positioning was accurate anticipating wider movement but Brown’s decision to hold was left wanting when space presented for Farrell.
Later in the half Nathan Hughes (8) prepares to return a kick with Curry again jostling with Du Toit for position.
Du Toit slips underneath Curry again, but in the slippery conditions he is pushed off his line just enough for Hughes to make a half-break. Hughes offloads to Brown and Curry looms in support but the ball is dislodged from Brown’s hands.
In defence, he got through 14 tackles filling the C gap a lot in phase play and playing a halfback role at the lineout as Cipriani’s inside protection, solidifying the 9-10 channel. He made two outstanding dominant one-on-one tackles on Andre Esterhuizen coming off set-piece.
He managed to win a turnover with pure upper body strength, holding up Siya Kolisi enough for a collapsed maul on a play that South Africa sent down the 9-10 channel. He won another in traditional fetcher fashion in the first half, striking an isolated opponent and forcing a holding on penalty.
His impact on the game in defence was outstanding but it was other areas that will be a concern for Jones. He made a couple of mental errors when used as a running option outside 10 and was technically amiss at times as a primary cleanout option.
Above is a common attack formation used outside Cipriani that Curry frequently occupies. On one occasion he stuck an outstretched hand for a pass that was intended for his outside man leading to a knock-on and on another he botched a running line, causing an obstruction which was fortunately not called by the referee.
Curry’s technique at the cleanout area was a worry at times, often losing his footing too early and heading to ground with his teammate, sealing off the ball and taking himself out of play giving the opposition a crack at the ball.
Below Curry is on the ground, on top of his teammate with the Springbok forwards given a prime opportunity to contest the ball. This sometimes requires others to commit to the ruck that weren’t initially planning to do so. In the second example, Owen Farrell bails out Curry by coming in to clean out Kolisi.
His cleanout work in the match was inconsistent and sometimes completely illegal, taking side entries on multiple occasions and failing to release the tackled opponent, which he was lucky to be not penalised for. This is a fine line to toe and if he can get away with it consistently then kudos to him but could cost the side if policed properly.
Below South Africa’s loose forwards complete a dominant tackle on Nathan Hughes, driving him backward. Curry, having overshot the mark, has to track back and enters from the side illegally to clean.
At just 20-years-old Curry is showing plenty of promise to retain his spot in the England squad. His work rate is phenomenal and a real asset to the team. His recovery work and off-the-ball line running is great – as he grows in size he will be more effective at holding his weight in those situations as well as becoming a bigger nuisance at the breakdown which is an obvious strength.
He will have to clean up a few technical areas but the risk is worth the upside for England, already proving he can win turnovers against a daunting Springbok pack. Defensively he is reliable and can bring pressure with his line speed and his high aerobic capacity gives the side extra mobility.
Tom Curry could just be Eddie Jones long-term answer at 7.
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments