Tom Curry returns to the rugby spotlight tonight hailed as a ‘freak of nature’ by his Sale club boss.
A quarter-final in Europe would represent the biggest game of the season for most 20-year-olds. But Curry is not most 20-year-olds.
The youngster who lines up against Connacht at the AJ Bell Stadium has made just 29 Premiership appearances, yet he already has 10 England caps.
The first of those came in June 2017 when he was 18, making him the youngest player in 90 years to start for England.
Not content with getting a Six Nations debut last month he started every game of the championship, made more tackles (86) than anyone else and was shortlisted for player of the tournament.
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“Tom has most certainly made a mark in world rugby,” said Sharks’ director of rugby Steve Diamond. “Eddie Jones has given him a shot and he’s taken it.
“He’s a machine, as good in the last 10 as he is in the first 10. He’s not played poorly in any game.”
For all that Curry might not even be the best rugby player in his family - as twin brother Ben was first to get the England call, only for injury to pass the opportunity on to Tom.
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“To us there’s no real difference between the pair of them so it’s difficult for me to speak about Tom on his own,” said Diamond, who names Ben on the bench this evening.
“They came through together as freaks of nature, head and shoulders above everybody at age group. One is a brilliant replacement for the other.”
With both signed up by Sale until 2023, Diamond is bullish about the future for a club which operates in the shadow of Manchester football giants United and City, yet this season boasts a 20 per cent increase in gates.
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“I feel there is an ‘unfashionable’ tag attached to Sale but we’re not really fussed what anyone thinks about us,” said Tom. “We’re not chippy, what we are is a physical, confrontational side. That is in the Sale DNA.”
Sharks have twice won the European Challenge Cup and with Curry on board will be expected to set up a semi-final clash against either Bristol or La Rochelle.
“Obviously there is a little more pressure on me these days but personally I’ve felt a bit more relaxed,” he said. “Being involved with England has given me confidence.”
