CURRY A RED HOT CHOICE

Tom tipped to bring same intensity as Farrell if he gets nod as skipper

TOM CURRY will be a clone of Owen Farrell as captain if he leads England against Scotland says the coach that knows them both best.

Curry is favourite to take over as England skipper for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match despite his limited experience of the job at club level.

But Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who has overseen Curry’s development over the past 13 months, sees uncanny parallels with Farrell who he worked with previously for 13 years as Saracens coach.

Sanderson said: “I know Owen is someone who respects Tom massively. All the ways that Tom is good, Owen shares those similar virtues. They don’t coast through a session, either of them.

“It’s always the challenge for them to get better.

“The pair of them aren’t difficult to manage but they are challenging to manage. If you can’t give them the reason why,

you aren’t worth your salt as a coach. The level of intensity that Tom has can burn people out. Not him, though, because the depths of his energy are fathomless.

“He is probably more suited to an international environment as captain than he would be to a club environment.

“Tom is so driven and he lives what it is to be a high-performing athlete. He pushes people through.”

Sanderson also confirmed Manu Tuilagi will make his comeback on Sunday for Sale at Harlequins.

However he warned against Eddie Jones parachuting him back into the England squad for the trip to Italy after an 11-week lay-off with a torn hamstring.

“He’s fit and he’s up for selection but I think more than one game would be advisable,” added Sanderson.