Sale: Tom Curry could play before end of the season despite hip op
Alex Sanderson has revealed that Tom Curry could be fit and available for any end-of-season finals if Sale qualify for them. The England openside returned from the Rugby World Cup to learn that he required season-ending hip surgery.
It was 120 days ago, November 21 to be precise, when the Sharks came clean about the latest injury setback to affect the 25-year-old. After arriving back from France, any time that he trained with any intensity in Manchester resulted in him stiffening up.
Expert medical opinion decided that an operation was needed to mend the damage. “Tom needs a clear out of his hip that will put him out for the rest of this season; this is the only option,” explained the Sale director of rugby at the time.
“He has just got some wear and tear issues around his socket and a little bone that needs shaving off, cleaning up.”
With the Sharks now poised to play their first Gallagher Premiership game since January 28 this Sunday when they visit Bath, Sanderson has resumed his weekly media briefings.
"I have a bottle of wine in the car, I'm off to his house after this to level, to chat with him…"
– Alex Sanderson will catch up with Manu Tuilagi on Wednesday evening after he decided to leave Sale for Bayonne, with Liam Heagney 🎙️ #GallagherPrem #TOP14 #EnglandRugby #rugby pic.twitter.com/pelJd6gq1A
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 20, 2024
He soon explained the incredible progress Curry has made in recent months in getting to the stage where he might yet feature before the conclusion of the 2023/24 club season, which ends with a June 8 final at Twickenham some weeks after the Challenge Cup final at Tottenham.
If he does make it back by then, it would potentially put him up for England tour selection as they are set to face Japan on June 22 with the two-game series in New Zealand starting on July 6.
Asked how the Curry rehabilitation had gone since his winter hip operation, Sanderson said: “He was away in the wilderness rehabbing for a few months and we had seen him come and go out and the nature of Tom is all in or he needs that space.
“We ended up having a few days off at the start of the Six Nations and it was a couple of weeks before when I put it to all our injured players, of which there was a room full, how much more could we contribute as a group.
“Looking around the room and just looking at the experience, the likes of Jonny Hill, Tom Ellis, Bevan Rodd, Ross Harrison, Tom Curry, it was can you contribute more, tell me how?
“He is away in Malta at present with his missus, but he didn’t have any time off (in recent months). He was in rehabbing and when I come back in, him and Bevan Rodd sat me down and said we have got some ideas about how we can make this environment better? We want player meetings, we want a player’s group, we want to be able to provide better, more feedback, we want to hold ourselves more accountable – and he spearheaded that.
“That coincided with his return to fitness. So he is running now and if he does come back at the end of this season, of which there is a slim possibility, you want a team and a club he has had some influence over and so from being out in the wilderness, I feel like I’m looking over my shoulder; he is ready to tell me how I can do the meeting better, how we can run sessions better on the feedback of the players.
“He is very much back in the fold in terms of his contribution. He is bombing around, his hip looks good. His brother (Ben) is back in training today [Wednesday] as well, which is great. And he has outside chance; I’d say he might make a final or two if we get there.”
The commitment of Curry to his rehab has left Sanderson in awe. “His ability to reframe things and set a new horizon and then break it down into small achievable goals is unsurpassed… If anyone was going to get over a career-threatening injury, it was going to be him and seemingly he is doing it. I’m not surprised, I’m in awe. He can just chunk it down because he is that kind of man.
“He is demanding, he holds people to account which he wanted to do with the player’s group because he holds himself to account to extremely high standards. As a leader, you have to back up your words and he does. Not to say that he doesn’t turn up late now and again or he doesn’t fill in his wellness.
“The lads cheer when he has to do dice rolls in our discipline sessions we have on a Tuesday afternoon because they want to see him get done for his minor indiscretions but he takes it in good humour, cracks on and serves his fines as and when he receives.
“But I would say he is demanding because he knows what it takes more than anyone. Like, getting hit on that hip in the World Cup must have been unbelievably painful and walking like an old man in the mornings and pushing yourself to get England to where they were and clear his name on the back of that Bongi incident, what’s not to respect about that?”
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
31 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 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 Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 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
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
31 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
31 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.
31 Go to comments