Fissler Extra: The Sale Sharks plea to England over Tom Curry

Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson is prepared to ask England coach Steve Borthwick if it would be best to give his back-row star Tom Curry this summer off, ahead of the World Cup, which is now only just over 18 months away.

Sanderson says that Curry’s playing style is likely to shorten his career, and he is now battling a calf injury he suffered in the warm-up before the Six Nations defeat in Italy and missed the start of the season after an operation on a wrist injury after the Lions tour.

“There’s a question around a summer tour. Does he need that? Does he need it to be in the best place for the World Cup? Is it better that he just has a few months off over the summer? That’s for us to discuss with England,” said Sanderson.

Exeter Chiefs are set to part company with their versatile prop Khwezi Mona when his two-year contract with the Premiership high-flyers runs out at the end of the season, according to whispers coming out of the Devon outfit.

Loosehead Mona, 33, who has also played at tighthead, has played for the Pumas and Griquas and joined the Chiefs from the Sharks in 2025, making nine appearances this season – eight in the Premiership Rugby Cup and one in the Challenge Cup.

Rob Baxter has got Georgian loosehead Nika Abuladze returning to Sandy Park next season, and the club need to maintain an average of 15 England-qualified players (EQPs) in their 23-man match-day squad across the season.

Los Pumas enforcer Tomás Lavanini, who had been marketed for a move to the Gallagher Premiership next season, looks like staying either in Super Rugby Pacific or even moving to Japan’s Rugby League One.

Lavanini, 33, has made one appearance for the Highlanders so far this season in a defeat at the Crusaders, and his name appears in a list of players who are heading to the Sharks next season.

Alex Sanderson started looking at options when it was announced that he had missed out on signing former England under-20 international Junior Kpoku, who is staying in Toulon next season, but has now swooped for Wales international Christ Tshiunza.

Montauban, who are heading back to the Pro D2 next season, have signed the former Wallaby under-20 and A international inside centre Joey Walton on a two-year deal until 2028.

Walton, recently making his 50th appearance for the NSW Waratahs, has also played for Bay of Plenty in the NPC and has played at outside centre for the Waratahs, and becomes the seventh new signing for Montauban, who are anchored to the foot of the Top 14 table.

They have also signed tighthead Sidi-Mohammed Diallo, 22, from Nationale outfit Rouen, where he has made 17 appearances this season and with whom he played in the second tier three years ago.

Netherlands skipper Koen Bloemen could be playing in the Top 14 next season after signing for Oyonnax, who have an outside chance of playing in the French top flight next season.

Bloemen, 27, who started playing rugby in Havelte when he was seven, has played for Nationale side Bourg-en-Bresse and one game for Vannes in the Pro D2, and has made 21 appearances for Aurillac this season.

The lock moved to France when he was 16 and came through the Montpellier academy and is Oyonnax’s third new signing for next season after tempting fly-half Thomas Vincent and outside centre Thomas Darmon to leave Les Bleu et Blanc.

Soyaux Angoulême XV Charente have hijacked Pro D2 rivals Aurillac’s bid to sign Perpignan scrum-half Gela Aprasidze, and instead he will be playing at the Stade Chanzy next season.

Georgian star Aprasidze is leaving USAP this summer after they signed Leinster’s former Ireland international Luke McGrath for next season, and James Hall and Tom Ecochard agreed to sign new contracts.

Aurillac thought that they had their man until Soyaux Angoulême stepped in at the very last minute to offer him a better contract, which means he is heading there instead and sending them back to the drawing board.

Munster have announced that their second-row Conor Ryan will be staying at the province until 2028 after signing a new two-year contract with them and the IRFU.

Ryan, 22, who came up through the ranks of Clonakilty RFC, winning a South Munster U18 league title in 2022, plays for University College Cork in the AIL. He has played in friendlies for Munster against Bath and Leicester Tigers.

“Conor didn’t come through what might be considered a traditional route. Conor is an excellent example of the breadth of Munster’s player identification and recruitment process, a real success story,” said Munster general manager Ian Costello.