England star facing surgery dilemma as Steve Borthwick sweats over Autumn Nations Series squad
England back-rower Ben Curry is facing a major surgery dilemma ahead of the Autumn Nations Series
England face yet another injury concern in their back-row ahead of the Autumn Nations Series, with Sale Sharks star Ben Curry caught in a major surgery dilemma.
The 27-year-old flanker has been suffering with a hamstring issue in the early days of the new PREM season, coming off after just sixty minutes in Sale’s opening two fixtures, and it seems he could be set to go under the knife once again.
Curry has previously had an operation on the same hamstring in 2023 after picking up a blow in their semi-final win over Leicester Tigers, an injury which later ruled him out of the PREM final and the World Cup.
‘We are in talks about what can be done for a longer-term fix’
Speaking on the fitness of Curry, Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson detailed that they are looking at all the possibilities to get him back to full fitness.
“Not great. Nothing new, but it’s consistently irritating and affecting his preparation. We are in talks about what can be done for a longer-term fix rather than going week to week, which at the moment clearly isn’t working for him.
“That’s one option, to sit him out and let it settle down, but we’ve been down that road and still it occurs.
“In the specialist’s experience, and this has only happened twice before, one just got on with it, while the other had the stitches snipped off, had six weeks out and then got on with it. Both ways are a solution, but we are trying to work out what is best for Ben.
“He’s seen the specialist twice since coming back from tour, England physios have been up, we’re all over it and he’s had multiple scans, there’s a lot being done to try and figure out the best solution.”
Sanderson added that it would not be a full-on reattachment like he had two years ago, but rather a ‘clean-up’.
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“It’s not another procedure, it’s just a clear-up from the last operation, he said. “But that’s 12 days of stitches and then six weeks in total to get back to full fitness.”
But, even with it just being a small surgery, that six-week recovery timescale would mean he misses the November Tests against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, but it would see him back fit from around December in time for Sale’s festive PREM fixtures, which now leaves the club and national team at odds.
“England may want to push him through the internationals, then have the operation and six weeks out over Christmas, and he comes back for the Six Nations. That’s the best thing for them, but the best thing for the club is probably to play a couple of games and get his operation over the Autumn internationals.”
This proverbial tug-of-war is also made more complicated by Curry’s Enhanced EPS contract, which gives England final say on any potential medical decisions; however, this throws up yet another dilemma. If Curry were to undergo surgery now, it would likely rule him out of the Autumn Nations Series, but if he has the surgery after the four November Tests, it could then put him out of contention for the start of the Six Nations.
Either way, this will be a major concern for England head coach Steve Borthwick, whose injury list continues to grow ahead of next month’s Tests. Ted Hill, Charlie Ewels, Harry Randall and George Martin are all confirmed to be out of contention for the four Tests next month, while George Furbank, Elliot Daly and Ben’s twin brother Tom also remain under a cloud with no return date confirmed at the time of writing.
