Sale Sharks and England backrow Ben Curry will unfortunately be unable to participate in the upcoming Premiership final and the 2023 Rugby World Cup due to a severe injury sustained during the semi-final against Leicester Tigers.
Ben Curry fell victim to the notorious ‘crocodile roll’ technique, joining a distressing list of players including England teammate Jack Willis and Ireland’s Dan Leavy who have suffered terrible injuries as a result of this movement.
In light of this incident, Tom expressed his belief that more should be done to safeguard players, stating, “It would be beneficial if measures were taken to prevent the occurrence of the crocodile roll. I think we have reached a point where such action is necessary.”
“This doesn’t have to be a big thing. It’s just a conversation. But we’re seeing injuries at the breakdown from that, and you’ve got to start listening to what’s happening.
“For me, ultimately, we’re out there to play the game and if there’s something that’s going to make it safer for people going for the ball then brilliant. But for me rugby is brilliant the way it is, and I’ll leave it at that.
“Ben’s a bit less sore now. Because of the type of person, he is, he hasn’t really left the training ground. He’s been in a hyperbaric chamber for about five hours for treatment,
“It’s tough because if there’s someone who deserves to play in a final, I think it’s him. It’s going to give us an edge. It has to.
“I’m sure he’ll return as the fittest, best person to have back from a hamstring that’s ever happened.”
England’s World Cup fixtures confirmed with routine route to final
The next tournament will be held in France and the hosts will face New Zealand in a blockbuster opening match in Saint-Denis.
Chile and Tonga are the latest teams to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The finals work the same way as the 2019 tournament with the first two teams in each pool progressing to the quarter-finals, which will be contested by knock-out matches.
If we suppose the top-ranked teams each win their pools and the second-ranked teams finish runners-up then the quarter-finals in 2023 could look something like this…
- Wales vs Argentina
- South Africa vs France
- England vs Australia
- New Zealand vs Ireland
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The draw is a key milestone on the journey to Rugby World Cup France 2023, and the time when the tournament truly comes to life for teams and players alike.
“It enables key operational elements to be undertaken such as venue allocation, optimal match schedule development and the ticketing programme.”
FULL 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP DRAW:
POOL A
- New Zealand
- France
- Italy
- Uruguay
- Namibia
POOL A FIXTURES:
- Sep 8: France vs New Zealand (Pool A) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Sep 9: Italy vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
- Sep 14: France vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
- Sep 15: New Zealand vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
- Sep 20: Italy vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade de Nice, Nice
- Sep 21: France vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
- Sep 27: Uruguay vs Namibia (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Sep 29: New Zealand vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Oct 5: New Zealand vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
- Oct 6: France vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
