Tom Curry in 'fantastic condition' after making England's squad for summer tour (2024)

TWICKENHAM — England head coach Steve Borthwick says he was convinced by a conversation with Tom Curry to take the “world-class” Sale Sharks flanker on tour to Japan and New Zealand, despite the warning from Curry’s club that it will shorten his Test career.

Curry missed this year’s Six Nations to have hip surgery and the 25-year-old has played just 34 minutes since the World Cup in October, as a substitute in Sale’s Premiership semi-final at Bath on 1 June.

Sale boss Alex Sanderson said before that match: “Whatever he plays in this off-season will take away games at the back end of his career. Guaranteed.”

Borthwick on Monday included Curry in a squad of 36 players who will fly out on Wednesday for a warm-up Test with Eddie Jones’s Japan in Tokyo ahead of meeting World Cup runners-up the All Blacks in Dunedin and Auckland next month.

Borthwick said Curry is in “fantastic physical condition” and was “desperate” to be included.

“The respective medical and strength and conditioning teams with Sale and England have been liaising around Tom for a long period, as you would expect,” Borthwick said.

“I saw last week how energised he was. Most importantly was the conversation I had with Tom. We spoke about this series and this is a player who is desperate to be a part of this England team and wants to play in these games.

“Because of that and the fact he’s world class, it was a very straightforward decision.”

In other eye-catching choices, Borthwick rewarded strong form in this season’s Premiership by including Sale back-three pair Tom Roebuck – who trained with England during the Six Nations – and Joe Carpenter, and the Harlequins loosehead prop Fin Baxter, a former England Under-20 captain who will want to show he is ready to take over the international mantle from club-mate Joe Marler and Sale’s Bevan Rodd.

Curtis Langdon of Northampton was expected to tour as a third hooker alongside Jamie George, who continues as captain, and Theo Dan.

But Langdon injured a shoulder in his club’s Premiership final victory over Bath at Twickenham on Saturday, and the vacant place is now a reward for the resilience of Bristol’s Gabriel Oghre.

Oghre was part of the sad financial demise of Wasps in autumn 2022, and he subsequently joined Bordeaux-Begles and Leicester Tigers on short-term deals, before finding a home with the Bears this season.

Northampton nevertheless have seven players on the trip, including the uncapped wing Ollie Sleightholme, the Premiership’s top try scorer this season, among six Saints backs.

Another of those is fly-half Fin Smith, the son of two Scots, who is in a straight fight with Harlequins’ Marcus Smith for the England No.10 jersey, with the injured George Ford unavailable.

There was cause for cautious optimism in England’s three wins in the Six Nations, but a trip into the sticky 31-degree heat expected in Japan, followed by the partisan crowds in wintry New Zealand, will be a new challenge to most of the squad.

By taking 36 players for three matches, Borthwick has room for experimentation if he wishes, or to inculcate some of the younger players in England’s methods with one eye on the next World Cup in 2027.

England’s squad for tour of Japan and New Zealand

Forwards:

• Fin Baxter (Harlequins, uncapped)
• Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 112 caps)
• Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 5 caps)
• Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 4 caps)
• Ben Curry (Sale Sharks, 5 caps)
• Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 50 caps)
• Theo Dan (Saracens, 12 caps)
• Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 17 caps)
• Ben Earl (Saracens, 30 caps)
• Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 30 caps)
• Jamie George (Saracens, 90 caps) – captain
• Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 7 caps)
• Maro Itoje (Saracens, 81 caps)
• Joe Marler (Harlequins, 93 caps)
• George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 12 caps)
• Gabriel Oghre (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
• Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 5 caps)
• Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, 4 caps)
• Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 38 caps)
• Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 35 caps)

Backs:

• Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
• Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
• Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs, 3 caps)
• Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 8 caps)
• George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 9 caps)
• Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 24 caps)
• Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)
• Luke Northmore (Harlequins, uncapped)
• Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 6 caps)
• Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, uncapped)
• Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 62 caps)
• Ollie Sleightholme (Northampton Saints, uncapped)
• Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 2 caps)
• Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 32 caps)
• Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 5 caps)
• Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 33 caps)