Sale warn England ‘superhuman’ Tom Curry needs time off to prolong career
Alex Sanderson has warned that Tom Curry’s physical playing style will shorten his career and has suggested England should give him the summer off with the World Cup next year in mind.The back-rower sustained a calf injury in the warmup for England’s Six Nations defeat by Italy in Rome.Sanderson, the Sale director of rugby, said on Tuesday that Curry has a grade-three calf tear and “he’ll be back this season” – but when remains unclear.“With Tom being superhuman the usual layoff times tend to be diminished because of his character and physique,” Sanderson said.The 27-year-old Curry had surgery on a persistent wrist injury after the British & Irish Lions tour last summer, sidelining him until November, and also has a chronic hip condition.
He was out for eight months from late in 2023 after hip surgery and has endured a litany of other injuries in recent seasons.Sanderson believes taking time off for injury rehabilitation may help Curry extend his career, but also admits the flanker’s all-action on-field approach will realistically shorten it, too.“The physicality he plays at is definitely going to shorten his playing career from 35 to 32, something like that,” Sanderson said.“But the less games he plays the longer his career.He’s not going to play over the next few weeks and we’ll see how it goes.
“There’s a question around a summer tour.Does he need that? Does he need it to be in the best place for the World Cup? Is it better that he just has a few months off over the summer? That’s for us to discuss with England.”In the inaugural Nations Championship, Steve Borthwick’s side will travel to South Africa to play the Springboks on 4 July, then meet Fiji in Liverpool on 11 July, before a second long-haul trip to face Argentina a week later.Post-Lions fatigue may have contributed to England’s dismal Six Nations performance and Sanderson is keen to manage Curry’s workload.“We’ll sit down and look at a two-year plan,” Sanderson said.
“The way he plays and the way he’s managed will have an effect on his career, 100%.We are on top of it and I don’t think I’d want to change the way he plays.”Sanderson said that Sale are “hoping for Europe” for Curry’s return, which may mean the Champions Cup quarter-finals in mid-April or the final stages in May – if the Sharks can get past Harlequins in the round of 16 on 4 April.“Let’s see how it goes with regards to that competition,” Sanderson said.“We’ve still got to get there, but that’s the average time [three months recovery for the calf tear] it takes for a human being that isn’t as physically fit, who doesn’t have all the 24-hour, round-the-clock physio treatment, the oxygen tents.
“All of that speeds the process up, as well as Tom’s commitment to getting fit again.Europe would be the best thing that could ever happen to us, but with these things there’s the best solution, or timeframe, which I’ve given to you, or the worst which is what you’re talking about.I’ve not heard it’s three months at all – he’ll be back this season.”Meanwhile the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, said Maro Itoje and Jamie George will be rested for the Prem encounter against Bath on Friday.“We’ll definitely rest Maro and Jamie George immediately,” he said.
“It’s been a very busy six or seven weeks for them both physically and emotionally.I think the right thing for those two players is to get a rest right away.”
Reeves plans to give England’s regional leaders a share of national tax revenues
Rachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up proposals to hand England’s mayors a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy.The chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster, as she promised to create investment-led growth across the UK.Reeves was delivering the Mais lecture – the second time she has given the high-profile annual address at Bayes Business School in London.It is no coincidence that the UK is “the most politically centralised of advanced democracies, and one of the most geographically unequal”, Reeves said.Treasury officials will bring forward a plan at the autumn budget to allow regional leaders to receive a share of national taxes, starting with income tax, she added
Oil and gas prices rise again after Iran attacks production facilities
Oil and gas prices rose again on Tuesday after Iran carried out attacks on production facilities for the first time since the start of the war with the US and Israel.Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, climbed 2.3% to almost $103 (£77) a barrel and was up nearly 50% from levels before the war began on 28 February. Wholesale gas prices rose nearly 3% to €52 (£45) a megawatt hour, compared with about €30 before the war.For the first time, Iran successfully targeted oil and gas production facilities rather than just refineries, terminals and storage
UK must learn lessons from AI race and retain its quantum computing talent, says minister
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Child abuse material ‘systemic’ on Elon Musk’s X amid Grok scandal, Australian online safety regulator warned
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Venezuela win first World Baseball Classic title after taming USA in politically fraught final
Venezuela defeated the United States 3-2 on Tuesday night to win their first World Baseball Classic title, a landmark triumph in a politically charged final that resonated far beyond the diamond.Eugenio Suárez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a dramatic victory for the South American side at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.After Daniel Palencia struck out Roman Anthony with a 100mph fastball for the final out, Venezuelan players poured onto the field, many draped in their national flag, celebrating a moment years in the making.“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today,” an elated Suárez said afterwards. “What can I say about this? God is good! Jesus, he was with us the whole time
Sabalenka may avoid championships in Dubai after ‘ridiculous’ comment
Aryna Sabalenka says she may never return to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships after she and Iga Swiatek were harshly criticised by the tournament director for their withdrawals from the tournament last month.“I think it’s ridiculous,” Sabalenka said during her pre-tournament press conference at the Miami Open. “I don’t think he showed himself in the best way possible. For me it’s actually so sad to see that the tournament directors and the tournaments are not protecting us as a player. They just care about their sellings, about their tournament and that’s it
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