England flankers Tom Curry and Sam Underhill have received their highest praise yet at the Rugby World Cup after assistant coach John Mitchell compared them to the greats Richie McCaw and David Pocock – only they’re both faster.
Curry, 21, and Underhill, 23, have been a key reason behind England’s progression to the World Cup final this Saturday, with both standing out in the 19-7 semi-final victory over New Zealand last weekend.
The pair have been deployed in a twin-openside role that has helped to give England an advantage over their opponents at the breakdown, as well as an extra bite in defence that saw Underhill put in powerful tackles on Kieran Reid and Jordie Barrett last weekend.
“They’ve got rocks and boulders [for shoulders],” said Mitchell, who knows a thing or two about tackling after forging a career in the back-row himself. “It’s about timing. They do a lot of numbers in that area as well. What I mean by that is, they’re always doing little pick-ups in those areas. It’s all about controlling the attacker and they’ve got good height as well – they can get lower than most.
“There’s a lot of McCaw and a lot of Pocock in them, but they’re quicker. But the game has evolved as well. A few years back, to go from seven to six would have been a difficult adjustment, but Tom Curry has really developed his set-piece skills, working with one of the best in Steve Borthwick. A few years ago, with the mind-set of another openside flanker, he would have probably turned it down as being too challenging, I think.”
Curry is in the running for the World Rugby Player of the Year award following his outstanding performances at the World Cup and form earlier in the year during the Six Nations.
Mitchell was not exactly familiar with Curry and Underhill before he agreed to take the England job last year, along with fellow back-rowers Mark Wilson and Lewis Ludlam, though he did have a good understanding of Billy Vunipola due to his six-year international career.
“Having played in the back-row and coached a lot of fine back-rowers in the world at a particular time, to be associated with their development and then, this crew, you get a bit of a feel of who is outstanding and who isn't,” added Mitchell.
“It's not just about the individual, it's about creating the right mix and making sure you've got the right back-rower coming on as well. They’re a good group who complement each other well. You’ve got carry, they all enjoy tackling and they all enjoy poaching as well. And they’ve got to know each other a lot better as well and while they have individual roles to fulfil, they became more aware of working together as a collective; as a combination.
“That’s the biggest challenge as a back row because they all come with a narrow way of thinking because they love hunting the ball. They’ve still got so much more growth in them as well and at a young age, they have the ability to be world-class.”
