Curry can tame the ‘Tasmanian Devil’

I am a complete Curry convert. There is almost no limit to what he can achieve

It is fair to say that last year I was not fully sold on Tom Curry. Midway through the tour of South Africa I wrote he had 40 minutes to show Eddie Jones, the England head coach, what he was made of, while ahead of the game with the Springboks at Twickenham I voiced my concern that his inexperience alongside Mark Wilson and Brad Shields in the back row could be exploited.

Four months on I am a complete Curry convert. He is the real deal and, at 20, there is almost no limit to what he can achieve.

His performances in this Guinness Six Nations have not dropped below outstanding, and it is a mark of his progress that his inclusion is almost a given and we expect him to be a real point of difference against Scotland today.

His defensive work is outstanding and it is almost impossible to shift him when he is over the ball, but his support lines are better than many give him credit for and he is developing a real attacking threat.

Sam Underhill, his main rival for the No 7 shirt, is injured, so I think

Curry will definitely start at the World

Cup, fitness permitting.

He will need to be

Hard hitter: Tom Curry (right) has to be at his best to stop Hamish Watson at his best against Hamish Watson, who starts after one of the most impressive substitute appearances I can remember against Wales last week. With ball in hand, I was always told you need to aim for spaces, not faces, in the opposition defence, but Watson appears to have been told something different.

In his 22 minutes on the field Watson beat 10 defenders – the most ever by a Scot in a Six Nations match – and was like a Tasmanian Devil, crashing around and skittling defenders like ninepins. That ball-carrying ability makes him almost like an inside centre, able to attract defenders as he blasts through the tiniest of gaps and then creating space out wide.

The good thing for England is Curry is an expert at dominant tackles. He is one of the best in the world at hitting hard, driving his opponent back and then getting up and over the ball in a flash. It is something we could see a couple of times today and I think he will have more impact at Twickenham.

It will also be interesting to see the effect of the result of the Wales-ireland game. If the title is gone, you need to push that thought from your mind and concentrate on the task.

If Wales win, then England’s motivation will be revenge for last year’s loss at Murrayfield. Jones is clearly using it to fire his players. If it works for his team then why not try it?