Curry injury scare as Sale overpowered
England’s flanker headache
SALE were blown away before Storm Isha arrived. holders La Rochelle knocked the Premiership side out of the Champions Cup and left England facing an injury scare over Ben Curry.
The home captain limped off in the 74th minute of this brutal contest at the AJ Bell Stadium, with the Sharks long since doomed to defeat.
Brother Tom is already sidelined for the season due to injury, so the last thing club or country need is a significant setback for their other flanker twin, who is a strong contender to start at openside in the Six nations curtain-raiser against Italy on February 3.
Ben Curry led the resistance with typical tenacity, but departed with his left ankle heavily strapped. England will conduct their own tests when they arrive in northern Spain for a training camp this week, but Sale’s director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, presented a positive prognosis.
‘ Ben is going to England, I think he’s all right,’ he said. ‘he just rolled his ankle. he’ll be fine. he’s got a week in Girona, I think he’ll be good to go a week after that.’ Time will tell if any soreness in the ankle restricts Curry’s ability to train, which may in turn impact his prospects of playing in the first Test of the year. George Ford made his comeback at no 10 for Sale after missing two games with a knee problem, which involved having injections in the joint. he showed some deft touches and trademark, shrewd distribution on his return, but also threw an interception, as Sale desperately tried to rally late on, to gift a try to UJ Seuteni.
When Ford handed over goal-kicking duties to Sam Bedlow late in the game, it caused alarm bells to ring about the state of his leg, but Sanderson played them down.
‘That’s because of his MCL (knee),’ he said. ‘It wasn’t bothering him, but he hadn’t done any practice on it.
‘Because it’s his kicking leg, he was fine punting, not so much off the ground.
‘he just hadn’t practised, but we’d rather have him out on the field and get someone else kicking.’
In a game punctuated by injuries and stretchers, England lock Jonny hill — not part of the current Test squad — was carried off with a suspected dislocation of his kneecap.
he could be seen chatting to team-mates and smiling after the game, but Sanderson admitted: ‘he looks bad.’
Sale started well and almost conjured a stunning try attacking wide, playing into the first-half wind.
But after Sam James’ slick back-hand pass released Gus Warr, Levani Botia knocked the ball away as Tom Roebuck was primed to go over.
Seconds later, Dillyn Leyds struck at the other end and La Rochelle were on their way to the win which propelled them into the last 16, despite losing their opening two pool fixtures.
With giant forwards such as Uini Atonio and Will Skelton ensuring scrum supremacy, they had too much power for Sale and very few sides could have lived with their mighty pack.
At least the Sharks earned some respectability in defeat, with tries by Roebuck, Agustin Creevy, Sam Dugdale and Telusa Veainu.