French club slam England’s ‘violent tackle’ leading to Rugby World Cup star’s injury
Josua Tuisova is tackled during the Rugby World Cup and Levani Botia reacts to Tom Curry's tackle.
Top 14 club Racing 92 have hit out at England flanker Tom Curry after Josua Tuisova’s injury in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Tuisova started the crunch knockout match for Fiji and played 72 minutes of the fixture before being replaced with a knee injury.
The powerhouse 29-year-old was in fine form for the Flying Fijians as they progressed past the pool stages, knocking Australia out of the tournament.
Racing 92 angered by Curry’s tackle
He was in similar form in the quarter-final against England before sustaining the injury in the 18th minute after taking a crash ball after a lineout.
Curry made the no-arms tackle on Tuisova, and while the TMO picked up the tackle and was penalised, there was no card for the challenge.
Tom Curry a lucky man there pic.twitter.com/dM0ZWtcG9H
— Jim Demps (@jim_demps) October 15, 2023
While Tuisova continued to play deep into the second half, he will now be sidelined for some time.
Racing 92 signed Tuisova from Lyon ahead of the World Cup and will now have to wait longer to see the star backline player in action.
The club issued a statement to confirm Tuisova’s injury, which included a passive-aggressive swipe at Curry.
“During the England – Fiji match counting for the 3rd quarter-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, last Sunday, October 15, the Fijian centre of Racing 92 Josua TUISOVA suffered a violent tackle without the arms of the English player no7 thus injuring his left knee,” the statement read.
“The player will consult specialist opinions in the coming days to determine the duration of his unavailability.
“Racing 92 wishes Josua TUISOVA a speedy recovery and shows him all its support during this period.”
Difficult World Cup for Tuisova
The injury setback is another blow in what has been a tough period for Tuisova.
Ahead of the pool stage match against Georgia, the centre was informed of the sad passing of his seven-year-old son.
He would go on to produce a stand-out performance against the Georgians despite the emotions and would ultimately miss the funeral the following Saturday.
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