Curtis keen to make a difference for Sharks
VERSATILE back Tom Curtis is hoping it will be third time lucky for him down at Sandy Park this weekend having never won there on his two previous visits.
Curtis, 21, made his Champions Cup debut at the home of Exeter in December 2019 before attending the Premiership play-off semi-final as a non-playing member of the squad in June 2021, which Sale also lost.
To set the record straight today, Curtis knows his hometown team will have to perform a lot better than they did in their final pool match last Friday, a 43-19 defeat at Bristol.
Sale went into the game at Ashton Gate needing to win by 29 points or more to get a home semi-final but were never in the running from the get-go.
“Everyone was aware we needed to win by a decent margin to get a home semi-final which is what we think we deserved having won three out of three previous. I don’t know whether that was a factor that played in some of the lads’ heads,” Curtis said.
“We didn’t turn up in the right frame of mind in that first half and all credit to Bristol, they were super sharp and beat us in all aspects and racked up a pretty big score by halftime.
“We rectified things a little bit, and had a much better second-half performance, but the damage was done by then.
“We are just trying now to build on the positives from what we did in the early part of the competition and how we finished against Bristol and take them through into this game against Exeter.”
Curtis pocketed a winner’s medal while still in his teens when Sale won the Premiership Cup three years ago, and the Mancunian isn’t going to pass up the chance to get another lightly.
didn’t play in the final (against Quins) but I played in a few of the games early on,” he said.
“Regardless of the competition, there are not many opportunities to win trophies in rugby so you have to cherish every quarter-final, semi-final … because you’re not sure how frequently they will come around.”
The Premiership Cup win of 2020 was the Sharks’ first piece of silverware since they lifted the league trophy in 2006, when his stepdad, Dean Schofield, was a key member of the team.
With Curtis enjoying his rugby at Cheadle Hulme and having the benefit of Schofield’s sage advice, professional rugby was always likely to be an option down the line.
But the footballing skills that he possesses come from his father, John Curtis, the former Manchester United defender who played under Sir Alex Ferguson before his career took a nomadic turn.
Curtis has started games at 10, 12 and 15 and also kicks at goal, with a 75 per cent success rate this season. “I am a 10/12, I want to be a fly-half going forward, that’s where my skills lie, but I am pretty versatile. I like to think I am a pretty good athlete so
I feel I can a job in other positions if needed,” he said. “It has helped my game, seeing things from a different perspective and how you can influence things further away from the ball and different skill sets are required for each one.”
Born in Wythenshawe, only a few miles from the club’s spiritual home in Sale, Curtis is one of a number of homegrown young players whose influence is starting to grow at the Sharks.
His biggest involvement this season was when he came on at centre for Manu Tuilagi midway through the first half of the 39-0 Champions Cup win against Ulster.
Curtis scored his first try for the club in what is widely recognised as the Sharks’ best performance in the two years Alex Sanderson has been in charge.
While the Sharks have George Ford and Rob du Preez as their main 10s, they are blessed to have both Curtis and Kieran Wilkinson as back-up.
Curtis sees the competition as a positive thing. “It is not really common to have four pretty strong options in one position because of squad sizes and the salary cap, but it is all good competition,” he said. “With Fordy coming in, I am doing all I can to pick up as much as I can from his game, and I have worked with Rob since I left school. He is always willing to help and he is doing really well for us this year.”
Today’s game against Exeter gives Curtis another chance to stake his claim. “I’ve been there twice and not won either of them so we’ll be looking to change that,” he said. “We know it is a tough place, but we are looking forward to it and everyone is determined to try and put the wrongs right from last week.”