Andy Farrell singles out ‘very impressive’ Tom Curry aspect, but back-rower claims his ‘best is yet to come’ after naming ‘biggest learning’ from 2021 Lions tour
Tom Curry warms up for the Lions versus the Reds
Andy Farrell has given his verdict on Tom Curry, the England back-rower who claims he is “giving everything to everything” in an effort to nail down a starting spot in the British and Irish Lions Test series against the Wallabies.
Curry was Warren Gatland’s choice as the starting openside in all three 2021 matches versus South Africa, but 2025 head coach Farrell has gone with the Sale player as his starting number six in the matches versus Argentina and the Reds.
The 27-year-old was particularly anonymous in last Wednesday’s fixture in Brisbane, but he had now been handed the opportunity to nail down the openside Test selection spot after he was named at No.7 to take on the Brumbies this Wednesday.
Identifying the best-balanced back-row has been a challenge for Farrell, but his decision to combine Curry at openside with Ollie Chessum at blindside and Jack Conan at No.8 for the midweek fixture in Canberra has the look of a trio that could start against the Wallabies if it impresses against the Brumbies.
“Stuff he does off the ball makes teams tick…”
During the team announcement media briefing in Canberra on Monday, Farrell was asked what he had made of Curry so far on the tour. “Everything that we all know about him,” he replied. “He is a machine, his work rate, his stuff off the ball is very impressive, and the stuff that he does off the ball makes teams tick.
“He is so fit and so determined to have an impact on the game, especially as far as physicality is concerned. He has started the tour really well.”
After Farrell had finished his top table media duties, Curry took over the hotseat and claimed that he is probably at his best when he isn’t having obvious standout moments during matches. “That [not having them] suits me. That is probably when you play your best,” he said.
“I don’t do stats and numbers. If you are on the floor, it’s how quickly you get up. If the ball is in the air, how quickly you run. So, numbers don’t mean much.
“I judge my games on how hard I work; that is how I get my enjoyment out of the game, just getting up off the floor and running, doing all that stuff and usually that puts me in the best spots to do what I want to do. I have felt I have done that, but I feel like I can definitely add.
“I feel there is probably moments when I have not been the best, but I feel like it is building, and I know when I back up games like this, the best is yet to come.
“I feel like I am in a good place. Going in, it was a bit stop-start, but now, backing up games, I feel the more you play, the better I get. I feel like I am timing it well.
“The first and foremost thing is you win,” he added. “I don’t really care if you stand out, I don’t really care what you do as long as the team wins. Obviously, to do that, people have to be putting their best foot forward, but you just have to do what you have to do to win and sometimes it is not necessarily the glamorous stuff, but as long as you win.
Looking at the massive back-row battle for selection, Curry reckoned: “It’s crazy, it’s class… brilliant. All the back-rowers are kind of different within their own right… you go from (Henry) Pollock to (Josh) Van der Flier to Jac (Morgan), even Ben Earl.
“Everyone is different within their own right, so you learn a lot and it’s different because we just playing (and not training much), you’d kind of learning from watching rather than learning from being with them so it’s been really cool to be that up close and personal with it.”
Curry was 23 when he toured with the 2021 Lions. Four years on from that trip where the Test series was lost 1-2 to the Springboks, he is fully aware of the importance of all aspects of the preparation.
“When you are young, it is kind of a gift and a curse in terms of anything that comes to you so quickly. You always take it for granted, like this is brilliant. But then that is brilliant because nothing fazes you, you just throw yourself into the next thing.
“But then, looking back now, you can’t take anything for granted. Everything from a meeting to a gym session, because we don’t get many of those either, rehab, rehab, video session, everything leads to building up to performance. You don’t take it for granted. You give everything to everything. That is probably the biggest learning.”
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