England is poised to unleash the formidable Tom Curry back into their starting lineup this Saturday. The Sale flanker, brimming with pent-up energy after serving a suspension, has been a relentless force in training, earning himself the reputation of a ‘menace’ on the pitch.
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At the tender age of 25, Curry had previously made waves as one of Eddie Jones’s celebrated ‘Kamikaze Kids’ during the last World Cup. However, his journey in the 2023 tournament hit an unexpected roadblock when he received a red card just three minutes into the opening match against Argentina in Marseille, stemming from an unfortunate clash of heads.
Despite the apparent absence of malicious intent in the incident, Curry found himself slapped with a two-match suspension, a decision that ignited passionate debates and divided opinions across the rugby world.
“He’s a menace in training because he’s so good, so he’s everywhere,” said Red Rose attack coach Richard Wigglesworth.
“He’s incredibly committed and diligent, as you’d expect from the really, really top player that he is. He’s chomping at the bit and we’re delighted for him that he’s back and raring to go. I don’t think he will hold much back, Tom.
“He is all-action. He’s fit as a fiddle and that’s the way he plays; multiple actions in games where he affects the game on both sides of the ball.
“I think we’ll get the best of Tom Curry by him getting straight into it from the start. We’re absolutely delighted to get him back. It was tough for him to come back from that (red card), but he’s reacted really well and got stuck into his training.”
PREDICTED ENGLAND XV:
BACK THREE
15. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
14. Henry Arundell (Racing 92)
11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Marcus Smith and Henry Arundell each had scintillating performances against Chile, and should retain their starting jerseys for the clash against Samoa. Starting with Smith, the newly-adopted fullback has forced his way into the England starting XV, leaving George Ford and Owen Farrell to do battle over the fly-half jersey. In a style akin to the All Blacks’ Beauden Barrett, Smith has transitioned effortlessly from fly-half to fullback, and scored two tries against Chile.
After hitting top gear for a record try-scoring performance whilst on his Rugby World Cup debut, Borthwick can hardly overlook the talents of Henry Arundell in a fortnight’s time. The former London Irish flyer ran out a clinic in opportunity taking, for his handful of tries against Chile. We have opted to recall Gloucester winger Jonny May to the starting XV over Max Malins. The Bristol Bears man did not have the starring role he would have liked against Chile, with proven try-machine May preferred against the tougher Samoan opposition.
CENTRES
13. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
12. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks)
It’s time to bring back the heavy artillery in the centres. Samoa have always been bruising ball carriers, but they have since further reinforced their ranks with the likes of former Australia and New Zealand internationals. The likes of Rugby World Cup winning All Blacks prop Charlie Faumuina and former Wallabies stalwart Christian Leali’ifano are included, along with former Wasps playmaker Lima Sopoaga also joining the fray.
Lawrence ran out for a strong performance against Chile, and will look to build on this momentum with another strong outing against Samoa. Lawrence has so far been behind Tuilagi and Marchant in the midfield pecking order, and would benefit from an extended run in the side before the knock-out stages. Lawrence ran out for the full eighty in the Chile match, with the versatile Marchant on the bench for a 10 minute cameo out wide to replace Max Malins. Tuilagi needs another big run-out before the quarter-finals, and an enjoyable afternoon against his birthplace of Samoa could well see him hit top form.