The Sale update on Tom Curry concussion, Jonny Hill police matter

Sale boss Alex Sanderson has confirmed that Tom Curry has been ruled out of this Saturday’s match at Saracens, adding that they are still in limbo regarding when Jonny Hill might be available for selection.

Curry was a first-half head knock casualty in last Sunday’s low-frills opening round league win over Harlequins, while Hill is still awaiting the outcome of the police investigation sparked by his altercation with a Bath fan following last June’s semi-final loss at The Rec.

That knockout match in Somerset was the same fixture which represented Curry’s comeback following his career-saving hip operation last December. He had since toured with England in the Far East and New Zealand and he broke his silence the other week on how he was initially told by his hip surgeon that he would likely have to retire from playing.

Curry defiantly overcame that particular injury issue, but his involvement in Sale's opening round Premiership match last weekend was complicated by the seventh-minute incident where his head collided with an opponent’s hip.

The flanker came off to undergo a head injury assessment and he returned to the field on 19 minutes after passing his initial examination. He was reassessed at the interval, though, told to miss the second half, will now sit out the round two game at Saracens and won’t be in contention to feature again until the October 4 round three game at home to Gloucester.

“You will not see Tom against Sarries,” confirmed Sanderson on Wednesday afternoon. “You have to go to return to rugby protocol which starts with a walk and then bike and then some bag hits.

“It’s a gradual return to play and you have to tick the box at every point in that process to return to play but if he does all those and he is undergoing all those, he will be good to train from next week and do contact, not that we do a lot in the week. But he will be good to do that from next week.”

Sanderson defended the decision which saw Curry return to play the last 21 minutes of the first half against Harlequins after passing his initial HIA. “Absolutely correct, passed all his testing, all his protocols… (we) put him in with the information we had at the time.

“At half-time he was reassessed, as everyone is, for precautionary measures and was deemed not fit to go back on in the second half, so he was looked after according to the protocols and roles really well in that sense.

Was the interval reassessment a one-off or something that regularly happens? “There was two doctors with over 50 years medical experience, one independent, one our own. They consistently check all players, particularly those who have knocks, at half-time. It’s just something that we do and I am sure the independent doctor was keen to readdress that as well.”

That reassessment limited Curry to a 28-minute appearance in just his second competitive outing with Sale since their Premiership final loss to Saracens in May 2023. How did Sanderson rate the England forward’s performance? “He did some really good stuff; he is moving well.

“He has not got to the form yet we all know Tom Curry can get to and I don’t think that is surprising. Myself and him, we have had a chat this week about just giving him that space to be able to do it and not put too much pressure on him.

“Mixed in with that is we all know what a training week looks for him now which is slightly different but it should have been different three years ago. Like, he was always doing too much and that is how he got himself geared up for games. Now we have to find a balance that works for him in the long term and we are in that process.

“I am quite excited by that process because he has matured and it means we can find a way to keep him fit for longer and find his best rugby without going right into the red every week by way of his training. That is the challenge we have and I knew we will get there.”

Sanderson likened the Curry-style collisions to what Jacques Burger used to be involved in at Saracens, where Sanderson worked as assistant coach before taking over at Sale. “The way he puts himself about and because he has had a long time out of the game, I used to find (that) with Jacques Burger and there is similar traits between the two.

“The guys go so hard into collisions. When you have had a year out your timing can be slightly off. On this occasion he just caught a hip on the temple, like a sweet spot. It wasn’t even a collision if you look at it and we did look at it back obviously afterwards. So that was just So that was just a poor unfortunate collision for Tom, caught in the wrong place.”

Switching to Hill, who hasn’t played for Sale since an injury in early 2024, the Sharks director of rugby reported a few weeks ago that the second row was due to visit the police on September 16 regarding what he allegedly did to a Bath fan post-game on June 1.

Asked for an update, Sanderson explained: “Nothing I can communicate at this point in time. We have internally disciplined him and that will all come out in the wash, but it is still quite sensitive.

“It [Hill’s return to play] is wrapped up with the RFU and our own internal disciplinary measures that we put in place, it’s all part of hubbub in terms of when he is able to play again.”