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Sale issue disappointing Curry update but have better news on Manu

By Chris Jones
(Photo by Steve Bardens/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Manu Tuilagi will return to action for Sale against Bath this weekend but stand-in England captain Tom Curry faces up to six more weeks out after damaging his hamstring in the March 12 Guinness Six Nations loss to Ireland at Twickenham. Like Curry, Tuilagi suffered a hamstring injury while on duty with England – and his return for the Sharks a week after the championship will only further frustrate English fans who saw their team only sporadically threaten as an attacking unit.

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Originally injured in the November win over South Africa, Tuilagi had been named to start in the February 26 game against Wales after fighting his way back to fitness but he then had to pull out just hours after that round three team announcement following a hamstring tweak at training.

Providing an injury update ahead of this weekend’s Gallagher Premiership trip to Bath, Sale boss Alex Sanderson said: “Tom Curry is out for another five to six weeks with a hamstring tear. It’s just one of those things and he will be back for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals (May 6-8) if we are worthy of getting through to that stage.

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“We are lucky that we have someone who is genetically the same [twin brother Ben Curry] to come back this week. Ben is looking really sharp. Tom also had tonsilitis as well as a concussion (against Wales). He had a torrid time in this Six Nations and it has been tough for him.

“We gave him a week off and it was his grandad’s birthday at the weekend. It is about getting him back to some normality and he has been around the training ground today [Tuesday] with a smile on his face.”

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Switching from Curry to Tuilagi, the Sale boss added: “Manu is up for selection this weekend – one of the world’s best centres. He did most of the training last week and there was a discussion about if he would go back to England but with the jump from the Premiership to international training loads, no one thought it was wise. He is looking sharp this week and to have him back is brilliant on and off the field. He is a wrecking ball. People grow a few inches around him and the squad gets tighter.

“Manu wasn’t rushed back but the step up in loading was too much and it needed a more graduated return to play. Is that being rushed? In hindsight, yes, because he got injured and we will sit down for another conversation with England about getting him ready for the World Cup.”

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While Tuilagi is back in the mix, Sale’s bid for a top-four finish has suffered another blow with USA skipper AJ MacGinty set to miss five weeks due to a knee injury, a setback that Sanderson initially feared was worse. “With AJ it could have been another ACL and six months,” explained the director of rugby.

“I’m so happy the lad can play for us again this season and when the swelling went down the surgeon said there was no tear. He will be back for the last three games and hopefully the quarter-finals of Europe.”

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Sam T 1 hours ago
Jake White: Let me clear up some things

I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.

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Ed the Duck 8 hours ago
How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle

Hey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂

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