England star Tom Curry is in a race against time to be fit for the Autumn Nations Series, with the back-rower recovering from wrist surgery.
The British and Irish Lions hero, who started all three Tests against the Wallabies earlier this year, was in need of surgery on a wrist injury prior to the tour down under; however, he delayed his operation in order to play for the famous touring side.
That decision has since had a knock-on effect for both Sale and possibly England too, with Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson detailing that he will likely only be available to play in November.
“If we get him back a week before Autumn, it’ll be a surprise to us,” he told RugbyPass. “I think he will go straight back into international camp in the Autumn.”
“He is back in doing physio now and is around the place, which is great,” he continued. “Tom’s surgery went really well, everything is super positive.”
“He will be coming back probably before the date the specialist scheduled, but it won’t be in time for the start of the season or anytime before the Autumn.”
While that initial timeframe does suggest he will be in contention for England’s Autumn Nations Series Tests against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina, a three-month layoff might mean he will not be fully match fit in time.
But, even without Curry in the mix, England boss Steve Borthwick has an absolute wealth of riches at his disposal to come in and don the number seven shirt, but just who will he go for?
Well, here is our rundown of the leading options to come into the starting XV.
Front-runner: Henry Pollock
This feels like a perfect chance to give Henry Pollock a proper run in the England starting back-row, after an incredible rise last year.
Pollock’s desire to carry in space and use his flair will really suit this new-look England attack, but he backs that up with some gritty efforts in the tight too. He is incredibly quick to sniff out a jackal opportunity, and throws his body about in defence to make some pretty monstrous hits.
The 20-year-old is still in his career infancy, but his performance off the bench against Wales in last year’s Six Nations and later for the Lions in the summer shows he is already ready-made for Test match rugby, and his time down under will have also likely made him a much better player than when he left. Giving him a proper run in the starting side will also do his development no harm at all.
In the mix: Ben Curry, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl
You would also expect Ben Curry, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl to be very much in the mix to wear seven this autumn.
Looking at B. Curry first, and avoiding the obvious ‘genetically identical’ chatter, he is arguably the most like-for-like replacement out of the lot. His desire to get over the ball at the breakdown was a key part of England’s defensive system on the summer tour of the Americas and in the Six Nations, to the point where he actually overtook Tom as the primary jackler in the side. He also works incredibly hard in defence, which is always a good thing for any Test back-rower.
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Bath flanker Underhill has proved time and time again that he is the ultimate Test match animal, and the way he ended the summer tour will also leave Borthwick with serious food for thought. His work in defence this summer was a major part of their clean sweep over Los Pumas, as he neutralised the likes of Pablo Matera and Juan Martin Gonzalez with one bone-crunching tackle after another. His experience at Test level could also prove valuable.
Regular starter Earl has shifted between openside and number eight in the past year or so, and should T. Curry miss out, he could see himself returned to the flank for a long run. His speed in the loose and genuine power make him a really unique threat within this England attack, almost acting as a third centre at times, but then he also loves to get stuck into the breakdown and defensive efforts too. Tom Willis is also making that number eight shirt his own right now, so that could force Borthwick’s hand to put Earl at seven.
Outside bet: Guy Pepper, Fitz Harding, Jack Kenningham
There are also some solid options across the PREM, in the form of Guy Pepper, Fitz Harding and Jack Kenningham. Pepper is the only one of this trio with senior caps to his name, and he made a strong impression during his three Test outings this summer, while Kenningham has also been involved with the England A and XV set-ups and left a good impression in his respective outings. Bristol skipper Harding is just outside of the picture at the moment, largely down to the competition for spots, but has been a standout for the Bears for the last few seasons.
These three will also give a fresh outlook on the back-row, and bringing them into the squad in the absence of T. Curry would only heighten the depth around the squad.
Bolters: Will Evans
In another world, Will Evans is a 50+ capper for England and arguably the focal point of the side, but this could be a chance to bring him in. The Harlequins man has been a consistent performer across the PREM in the past few seasons, regularly finding himself at the top of the turnover and tackle stats.
He is in a loaded position for England, though, and would need to really leave a mark in the early stage of the season to overtake some of the names above, but he does deserve some recognition for his form in recent years.
Evans has also impressed for England A too, which again proves he is capable of making that step to Test level.
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