Sale Sharks rekindle Eddie Jones experiment as Tom Curry returns for Premiership derby weekend
Tom Curry starts at number eight for Sale Sharks against Newcastle Falcons.
England back-row Tom Curry will return to action for Sale Sharks in their Premiership game against Newcastle Falcons after recovering from a recent concussion.
However, his comeback will take place with extra intrigue as the international flanker is included in the starting line-up at number eight for Friday night’s meeting.
The decision is reminiscent of former England head coach Eddie Jones’ bold move to employ Curry at the back of the scrum at a time during his Red Rose tenure.
Tom Curry at eight
As mentioned, Curry is back in action this weekend after sitting out the last two games, this after he was withdrawn during their Round One win over Harlequins.
Curry sustained a hefty blow to the head after six minutes in Sale Sharks‘ victory and was taken off for an HIA. He was later admitted back onto the pitch after initially passing the test, but he was removed from the field for good at the interval and has been absent from the Sale matchday squad ever since.
This week he returns to action in the unusual position of number eight, starting alongside Ernst van Rhyn and brother and captain Ben for the Premiership clash.
The Curry twins will be looking to impress ahead of next month’s Autumn Nations Series as they hope to lock down roles in Steve Borthwick’s team during November.
In other team news for Sale, James Harper comes in at tighthead prop for his first start of the season, replacing promising youngster Asher Opoku-Fordjour in the XV. Harper starts alongside Si McIntyre and last week’s two-try hero Luke Cowan-Dickie up front, with Ben Bamber and the returning Hyron Andrews at lock.
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The backline is unchanged with Gus Warr continuing at scrum-half alongside Rob du Preez at fly-half, while in the centres, Sam Bedlow is alongside Will Addison.
Last week’s player of the match, Arron Reed, keeps his jersey and will line up again alongside Tom Roebuck and full-back Joe Carpenter in an exciting back three.
Meanwhile, another England international, Adam Radwan, returns for Newcastle as they make a Premiership derby weekend trip to Salford Community Stadium.
The winger comes in as one of four changes to the line-up, with Argentina lock Pedro Rubiolo in from the start and Cameron Hutchison and Oli Spencer at centre.
On the bench, there could be a Newcastle debut for ex-Sale back Jack Metcalf, with Falcons boss Steve Diamond returning to a club where he has long-standing ties.
The teams
Sale Sharks: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Will Addison, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Arron Reed, 10 Rob du Preez, 9 Gus Warr, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Curry (c), 6 Ernst van Rhyn, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ben Bamber, 3 James Harper, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Si McIntyre
Replacements: 16 Ethan Caine, 17 Tumy Onasanya, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Ben Bamber, 20 Dan du Preez, 21 Nye Thomas, 22 Tom Curtis, 23 Sam Dugdale
Newcastle Falcons: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Oli Spencer, 12 Cameron Hutchison, 11 Ben Stevenson, 10 Ethan Grayson, 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Callum Chick (c), 7 Tom Gordon, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 John Hawkins, 4 Pedro Rubiolo, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Luan de Bruin, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Freddie Lockwood, 20 Adam Scott, 21 Joe Davis, 22 Jack Metcalf, 23 Louis Brown
Venue: Salford Community Stadium
Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Andrew Jackson, John Meredith
TMO: Rowan Kitt
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