The Sale verdict on how Ben Curry has been treated by England
Alex Sanderson has given his verdict on the in-out-in-out-in way that Ben Curry has been treated in recent weeks by England. The 24-year-old won his first Test cap since July 2021 – and his second overall – when named as the starting openside in the Guinness Six Nations opener versus Scotland at Twickenham on February 4. However, he was then omitted from the reduced 29-man squad chosen for the round two match at home to Italy.
The next twist was Curry getting included in last week’s 25-man fallow week training squad, only to be excluded when Steve Borthwick named his 36-strong squad for this week’s round three match away to Wales.
Curry’s twin brother Tom, the 2021 Lions tourist who was an England regular in the Eddie Jones era, was instead included after he proved his fitness in last Saturday’s Sale match at Northampton, a game that Ben was unavailable for due to his England training selection.
But there was then another dramatic change to this ever-changing situation when it emerged that Tom had suffered a tournament-ending injury at England training on Monday, resulting in an SOS being sent to Ben who is now in the reduced squad of 26 ahead of Thursday’s selection of the team to play Wales on Saturday.
Has Sale director of rugby Sanderson been happy with the level of communication that has taken place this month between the Sharks, Ben Curry and England? “That’s a big question, it’s a good question,” he pondered at his midweek media briefing ahead of Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership trip to Exeter.
“Ben and Tom, they are England players at this point in the season. I feel fortunate if we get any game time back with them because they are England players and I want them to play for England. There is the added factor that they are twins and these twins play in similar positions and they are in competition (with each other) which makes it more difficult I would say to take when you’re not involved and your twin brother is in your stead.
“That is quite obvious. Anyone would empathise with that. As much you want your brother to be in and you want to play with him, you don’t want to see someone as close as that take the place. It hurts more, especially when you live with them. So there is that.
“There is the fact that Ben hasn’t been in for quite a long while (with England) and has worked and fought his way in. To reach the pinnacle of his career and then for that rug to be snatched from under his feet is difficult for an inexperienced player to take, someone who has just won his second cap. So you can see kind of what I am getting at.
“We have talked about it as coaches, that is the game and it will happen again and again and again – your ability to handle non-selection to taking on the responsibility when selected. To flip between the two is one of the hardest mental skills that you can acquire.
“Added to that is the fact that it’s his twin that is involved in this. It should be a very sensitive and well-thought-through plan and well-communicated. With the nature of the injuries, with the nature of the fallow week and everything else, I wouldn’t have handled it the same way. Like, I wouldn’t but then I have a great deal more sentimentality towards these two, you see what I am saying here.
“England don’t have to have that sentimentality. They have the pick of the bunch and they are able to pick on form and that is the nature of the international environment compared to the club environment. Have I been communicated to from the camp? Not Borthwick, he is a busy man right now, but (team manager) Richard Hill has been brilliant in terms of his communication, and I have been communicating more so with Ben and Tom because of all the influencing factors which could derail them.
“It hasn’t derailed them. Ben is in a great place going back in but it has taken no mean effort on the trips home, on the days off in between to reframe his mentality for him playing for us and then going back into England and then coming back to us and then going back to England. That would be difficult anyway, but the fact it is twins makes it more so.”
Asked for his assessment on how Ben Curry played as the England No7 in the round one loss to Scotland, Sanderson added: “I thought he grafted, I thought he was influential in every part of the game. The thing about international rugby is any little mistake that you make gets highlighted, exaggerated.
“Just the stress levels of camp and the knowledge that it is an opportunity and an infrequent one makes it extremely stressful for the player in terms of playing well enough to get selected for another occasion, so it is a threat to his career at that level and it is new to him. I know he was there once before but that game was (new).
“All that is less novel now. He has been in camp, played, knows he can perform at that level so I’m sure he will go into this (against Wales) less mentally stressed and more at ease with his ability to show what he is about and perform at the level he has consistently been performing for us to back up that performance for England. I’m sure it should be easier for him for all those reasons.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben 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.
19 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.
7 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.
19 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 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe 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….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 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
14 Go to comments