BROTHERS IN ARMS

Identical-twin Currys in a hurry to take Sale back to the top of the Premiership

JUST so you know,’ says Ben Curry, ‘ Tom is not actually my landlord.’ The joke at Sale is how Tom used his England match fees to buy their Cheshire home, before taking in his uncapped twin brother as a rent- paying lodger.

‘ It’s funny but it’s not actually true,’ chuckles Ben. ‘We heard a new one this week: “What do you call a curry in the England canteen? … Tom”.’

A dose of humour can go a long way during pre- season — especially at the end of a week when the club’s star signing, Chris Ashton, has been hit with a seven-week ban for a red card against Castres.

‘Chris hardly touched the guy,’ says Ben, who was one of the closest witnesses to Ashton’s tip tackle. ‘I was literally right there and the guy just threw himself. He jumped. It was a weird game.’

Teasing his identical twin, Tom adds: ‘I had to come in and protect you at one point. You were in a bit of trouble!’

Sale reluctantly accepted the punishment and now the Currys will help lead their dark-horse charge for a top-four finish.

Following the investment of businessman Simon Orange, Steve Diamond has pulled together the club’s strongest backline since the last decade. It includes Ashton, Faf de Klerk and James O’Connor, all A-list recruits. They complement a core of local talent featuring the 20-year-old Currys, both flankers.

Ben and Tom have shared nearparallel lives and now share a common goal. ‘ We signed five- year deals until 2021 because the club have a vision to win the Premiership,’ says Tom. ‘Maybe that could happen this year? We’ve definitely got the ability to get into the top four and then anything can happen.’

‘Seeing these new guys like Chris coming in gives you the belief to go on and win the Premiership,’ adds Ben. ‘When you get your head up from your 20th ruck of the game and see those guys have gone 50odd metres downfield, it’s a good feeling. As a youngster, that gives you confidence.’

Tom chuckles, adding: ‘We’ve also got a five-year plan with the house: painting, bathroom, carpets, outside walls, loft extension and a roller for the cricket pitch in the garden. It’s got a really even bounce but we’re still dreaming of the perfect pitch. Over t he fence or towards the windows is out, but if you get it on the roof and it comes back down then it’s a six … That’s the risk you take!’

Garden cricket will be off the cards when the rugby season starts and Sale’s tight-five must set out to find parity to unleash their gamechanging backline.

Diamond is seeking two or three more forwards and the club are plotting to achieve their first playoff finish since 2006.

‘ It’s my eighth year here and Brian Kennedy was owner for six of those years,’ Diamond told The Mail on Sunday. ‘With Brian losing a little bit of desire it became a damage limitation job, but now we’re expanding our horizons.

‘I’ve got a lot of experience of operating with no money, but now my job is about operating with a little bit more and challenging these top teams. We’ve gone from shopping in Aldi to shopping in Waitrose. You’ve got Exeter and Saracens above everyone else, but then others will battle it out and having local lads like Ben and Tom goes a long, long way.’

While Tom is the current holder of England’s No 7 jersey, their stat i stics are on par. They have emerged as the leading turnover specialists in England at the breakdown, with their skills coming back into fashion during the Six Nations. Tom, who has had to adapt to changes in refereeing interpretations, explains: ‘The year before last, you could tackle, stand up and just pick up the ball up for a turno-

ver. This time last year, a referee came in and talked about getting quick ball from the ruck. They basically said: “Get out the way, we don’t want to see any contest”, which meant fewer turnovers.

‘Then, when England got smashed at the breakdown during this year’s Six Nations, all of the media said that English refs are destroying the breakdown for us internationally because of the way it’s refereed. So now we’re anticipating that contesting the breakdown will be back in fashion.

‘As a breakdown seven, getting a gauge of the referee for what’s legal and what’s not is your hardest job. Come Monday morning, you don’t want to be the bloke who’s getting blamed for losing the game because you gave away six penalties at the breakdown.’

Diamond is looking at the possibility of starting both Currys in Sale’s back-row. A left and right flanker combination to provide a dual turnover threat. ‘They are the modern-day Neil Back — just a bit bigger,’ said Diamond.

‘At England level, you need some variety so you probably wouldn’t carry the pair of them, but they’re so powerful that it’s difficult for us at Sale not to pick them.

‘What I’m excited [about] is when they get to maturation in 2021 because I think we’ll have two world-class players on our hands.’

And, by that time, they will almost have paid off t heir mortgage.