England rocked by Six Nations injury setback as Tom Curry faces lengthy lay-off
Borthwick backs Curry after racial slur controversy calling it a ‘World Rugby matter’
England and Sale star Tom Curry is set to undergo hip surgery that will rule him out of the Six Nations and his entire club season, in a major blow to Steve Borthwick’s side and their chances of redemption in 2024. England endured a difficult tournament this year but Curry played a huge role in their revitalisation on their way to the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
Sale confirmed in a statement that Curry will miss not only the 2024 Six Nations and summer tour of New Zealand with England, but also their entire Premiership and Champions Cup campaigns.
The flanker earned his 50th international cap in England’s bronze match victory over Argentina in Paris, but has not played since that game as Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson revealed the deflating news.
“Tom needs a clear out of his hip that will put him out for the rest of this season,” Sanderson said before his side’s Premiership clash with Bath on Tuesday. “He has been back down to London to have further extensive X-rays under movement with a different consultant and this is the best thing for him in the short term.
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“I know it sounds long-term, the season, but it’s not. He is still a young lad and it’s the best thing for him in the short-term to ensure he is able to be more robust moving forward to train and progress his game the way he wants to.
“He has just got some wear and tear issues around his socket and a little bone that needs shaving off, cleaning up. My understanding is there is three procedures you can have on your hip of this nature: one is this, which is the least invasive. Then you can have a resurfacing, have a metal resurfacing, and then you can have a hip replacement, so this is the better of lesser evils I guess.”
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Curry was sent off in the opening moments of England’s campaign in France, but returned to a starring role before finding himself in the centre of a racism storm involving South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi before World Rugby dismissed the allegation.
Sanderson provided an update on how Curry reacted to the news, insisting that he is in the best frame of mind possible. “I was more upset than he was,” Sanderson added. “He had reframed himself, was like, ‘Okay, this is fine’… I literally see it as a bump in the road for him. He was extremely positive.
“I’m sure there will be ebbs and flows over the next four or five months and I hope to be part of that journey with him as we get him back to where he needs to be. There was no chink in the invincible armour that is Tom Curry, it was like, ‘Right, let’s get it done. Let’s go’.”
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