"Laughable" - Alex Sanderson reacts to Tom Curry 'bully' allegations

Tensions had erupted at the Allianz Stadium following England’s 27–23 victory, with the Argentina head coach alleging that Curry swore at him and pushed him in the tunnel.

The flanker later found himself in the centre of the post-match scuffles as frustrations boiled over, fuelled further by a late tackle on fullback Juan Cruz Mallia — a challenge that earned a penalty but was not referred to the TMO. Mallia has since been ruled out with a serious ACL injury.

But for Sanderson, the attempt to cast Curry as an aggressor simply does not align with the man he knows.

“A laughable one,” Sanderson said of Contepomi’s version of events. “Ridiculous in the context of the man that he is.”

If anything, Sanderson believes that the story of Curry this season is not one of confrontation, but of remarkable perseverance. The England flanker, named this week in World Rugby’s Dream Team of the Year, was absent from the shortlist for Men’s Player of the Year — a decision that left Sanderson openly surprised.

“Disappointment of course, because we think he’s that good,” he said. “It’s what he’s had to go through to get there, which I’ve been so impressed with. On the back of a career-threatening injury and a broken wrist essentially, through the injury that he had over the summer, to get to those heights is no mean feat and shows the kind of character that he is. A true competitor.”

Curry’s time on the pitch this autumn has been a quiet triumph in itself for England, with his performances earning plaudits. Despite being limited to bench appearances for his nation, he has been a key member of the squad, but has been straining at the leash to get back to full throttle for Sale — a hunger Sanderson has watched with growing admiration.

“He can’t wait to play a full game,” he said. “Seemingly he is becoming more robust as time goes on, which is really encouraging. He just wants to go this weekend. So we’ll set him free.”

As for the noise surrounding Contepomi’s comments, Sanderson made clear that neither he nor Curry was willing to let the saga become a distraction, especially as Sale play Exeter Chiefs this Friday.

“Not giving it any airtime whatsoever,” he said. “Just focused on this week and intentionally so, because he’s got a job to do this weekend.”