Suddenly Eddie has a glut of great No 7s
SALE versus Bath was a dire match with an intriguing sub-plot which will give Eddie Jones food for thought.
For years, the national team struggled with a shortage of breakdown specialists, now here was a club fixture featuring three of them. Tom Curry is England’s incumbent No 7 and Sam Underhill is fit again, back in the Bath side and ready to challenge his Sale counterpart for a place in the national side’s back row. Ben Curry — Tom’s identical twin — has not been on the England coach’s radar but he should be.
The contest between these magnificent rookies was absorbing, which the rest of the match certainly wasn’t. The fact that Sale won 6-3 was down in large part to the impact of their brilliant brothers. And the fact the score was so
THE way this Premiership season has unfolded presents a strong argument for doing away with the play-off semi-finals. Of course, the fairest system of all would be a reversion to the traditional league model, but sadly that ship has long since sailed. Exeter and Saracens are operating on a different level to their rivals. They should go head-to-head at Twickenham to tussle for the title and they probably will, but t if there was a freak result the week before, it would represent a major miscarriage of justice. It won’t happen, but they should do away with the semis. Maybe there can be a ‘plate’ prize for the teams finishing third and fourth. Make it pay well and clubs would take it seriously. low was down in large part to all three jackals. They too did well; their getting jobs well over — perhaps the erhe ball, poaching, spoiling and ending promising attacks. It started with Underhill (right) winning a turnover in the second minute, despite both Currys doing their best to shift him. Just before the break, the Shark twins joined forces to win a ruck penalty.
In the closing stages, the influence of the trio reached a peak. Underhill won another turnover 10 minutes from time to halt Sale’s charge towards Bath’s line. He repeated the trick with his side under siege five minutes later.
Then Tom Curry responded in kind in the 78th minute and the final act of the match was Ben Curry’s tackle forcing an Underhill fumble and Tom Curry clearing the ball off the pitch to seal the win.
Both Tom Curry — a stand-out star of the Six Nations — and Underhill will surely go to the World Cup, even if England only take five specialist back-rowers.
And there’s no reason why Jones can’t play them in tandem; deploying two opensides together and do to other teams what Wales did to England in 2013, when Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric combined to deadly effect.
The pair have complementary attributes. Underhill is a tackle machine and an improved carrier, while Curry is a dynamo in defence and attack; an athletic, dexterous link man, who can also become a decent line-out option.
If it comes down to an either-or choice at openside, Tom Curry holds the aces for now, but just imagine the havoc he could wreak with Underhill — or with his twin.