Tom Curry ruled out for remainder of Six Nations with fresh hamstring injury

Tom Curry will play no part in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations after being ruled out for at least four weeks with a torn hamstring.

Curry had only just returned from an injury to the hamstring on his right leg sustained on club duty for Sale against Harlequins on January 8.

The 24-year-old flanker had been due to make his comeback for England against Wales on Saturday only to damage the same muscle on his left leg in training.

“It’s a grade 2c hamstring injury on the opposite side to the one that he did six weeks ago. It’s a soft muscle injury that extends into the tendon. It’s four to six weeks,” Sale boss Alex Sanderson said.

Curry missed the first two rounds of the Six Nations and having impressed over 80 minutes at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday, he encountered a setback on his first full day of training with Steve Borthwick’s men.

“Tom played 80 minutes for us on Saturday. I’m not entirely sure of what he did with England on Monday,” Sanderson said.

“It was something to do with the loading and the physical demands of an international camp compared to your club.

“He’s frustrated. How good was he against Northampton? Tom knows his body and his mind better. This is not a guy who needs two or three games to warm up, he can just go straight in and be at the top of his game.”

Curry’s place in the 26-man England squad that will be whittled down to a matchday 23 on Thursday has been taken by his twin brother Ben, who had initially been overlooked entirely for the Wales clash.

Ben could now play a role at the Principality Stadium three weeks after making a low key debut against Scotland which included a conspicuous mistake in missing a tackle on Ben White that led to an important try, resulting in him being axed against Italy.

Sanderson insists England’s decision to swap in Ben directly for Tom needs to be handled carefully.

“They’re twins who play in similar positions and who are in competition, which makes it more difficult to take when you’re not involved and your twin brother is in your stead,” Sanderson said.

“That’s quite obvious – anyone would empathise with that. I have a brother and as much as you want him there, you want to be playing with him and not seeing someone as close as that take your place. It hurts more, especially when you live with them.

“It should be a very sensitive and well thought through plan that is well communicated. I wouldn’t have handled it the same way, but then I have a great deal more sentimentality for these two.

“England don’t have to have that sentimentality, they have the pick of the bunch and pick on form.

“(England team manager) Richard Hill has been brilliant in terms of his communication, but I’ve been communicating more with Ben and Tom because of all the influencing factors that could derail them.

“It hasn’t derailed them because Ben is in a great place going back in, but it’s taken no mean effort on the trips home and on the days off he’s had in between to reframe his mentality coming back and forth from England.”