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Mucking in not a problem for Tom Curry as he gets ready for his 28th game in 2019
Tom Curry insists he is happy to put his body on the line again when Sale Sharks face Exeter in their return Heineken Champions Cup clash on Sunday.
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The flanker is coming towards the end of a hectic 2019 that has seen him play in 14 England Tests – including six matches at the World Cup in Japan after a punishing pre-tournament training programme.
On top of his international commitments, the 21-year-old has also played 13 matches for Sale this year, giving him a running total of 27 games.
The combative nature of his back row play led to his inclusion on the shortlist for the World Rugby player of the year award, but his first post-World Cup outing for Sale in the Champions Cup against La Rochelle saw him gouged by Pierre Bourgarit, who was banned for six weeks.
Sale boss Steve Diamond is keenly aware of the need to sensible handle Curry’s workload. “We will monitor him,” Diamond told RugbyPass. “Tom is an honest kid and he will tell us how he is feeling and at Worcester, when we were down to 14 men, he wanted to stay on.”
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Yellow-carded in last Sunday’s 22-20 Champions Cup loss at home to Exeter, Curry is ready to keep on mucking in knowing that he doesn’t have an extended break until the end of a season where there is another Six Nations campaign and plenty of Premiership action still to negotiate.
Curry said: “I did have two weeks off after the World Cup and I will have five weeks at the end of the season and that will be the time to reflect on all that has happened, but for now it is about doing a job for Sale.
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“You feel a bit battered and bruised after every game, but then you go again and if I am told to play then I will give everything.
‘I just like the feeling that I’m improving. That is what motivates me, to just keep getting better’
– @LandRoverRugby ambassador @TomCurry98 talks to @heagnel as @EnglandRugby assemble for @rugbyworldcup training ? ????
https://t.co/8nTMZxgF19— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 23, 2019
“Going into the Six Nations (with England) you always take the momentum from previous campaigns and with the World Cup experience, people developing and with some new players possibly coming in that will spice things up.”
Having won 19 England caps and made the No6 jersey his own, Curry doesn’t want to be put into cotton wool as he thrives on competition, particularly when playing alongside twin brother Ben in the Sale back row.
With the England flanker now attracting more opposition attention – as witnessed in the La Rochelle game – will the presence of an identical twin on the pitch confuse those wanting to negate his play?
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Not for the faint-hearted.https://t.co/sFiHynreMg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 9, 2019
“Ben and I are pretty similar and if they manage to get one of us then that is pretty good for them,” said Curry.
With Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez also in the back row mix at Sale, the club has two sets of identical twins to select and while this seems remarkable, Curry points out that he experienced this at school.
“At school Ben and I were centre-backs in the football team and the right- and left-backs were also identical twins! Having two sets of identical twins is a weird scenario and it makes it tough for everyone else, but it is good for the team having brothers. It probably makes the team a bit tighter.”
'Everyone makes mistakes. I have made mine and I have learned the lessons that have come from it.'
Denny Solomona opens up to @heagneyl about his struggles with depression ??? https://t.co/s6HcJYPkKP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 28, 2019
One player Diamond wants to see used more by Sale this winter is Rohan Janse van Rensburg, the 17-stone, 6ft inside centre who is proving to be one of best defence-busting midfielders in the Premiership.
The midfielder won his only Springbok cap against Wales in 2016 and like, Faf de Klerk, arrived in Manchester in the Test wilderness. His current form, though, is sure to attract the attention of whoever succeeds Rassie Erasmus as South Africa’s World Cup-winning coach.
“I have been asking Paul Deacon – our backs coach – why we aren’t using him more because he is such a threat,” said Diamond. “In the make-up of the team, I want a big back and a centre who can get over the gain line.
“That is what Saracens have always had thanks to Brad Barritt and it is a case of ‘stop me if you can’. It is difficult to score from lineout drives at the moment but if you get five metres out then create some space for van Rensburg to hit. If it’s a two-on-one he will still score.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments