Tom Curry: Pain of RWC defeat 'will never go away'
Tom Curry says he will probably never get over the disappointment of losing a World Cup final but admits being back in a club environment at Sale has brought him quickly back down to earth.
The 21-year-old flanker enjoyed a huge tournament from a personal perspective in Japan but was unable to prevent England succumbing to a 32-12 defeat by South African in Yokohama.
“It will probably never go away but you don’t want it to,” Curry said at the Sharks’ training ground in Carrington. “That will definitely inspire and push you to better things and the experience gained was invaluable. Obviously winning would definitely be better but you have got to take those experiences with you.
"There will always be an emotional attachment to it but you’ve got to push it to one side, especially when you are playing for your club or you will do them a dis-service. That’s the challenge now, to push it to one side and definitely fully focus on getting better and playing well for Sale.”
The presence at training of Springbok scrum-half Faf De Klerk will provide a constant reminder of the World Cup final heartbreak but Curry says the jibes have been coming from all corners. “It’s probably everyone else rather than Faf to be honest,” he said.
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“I think that is probably what Sale are best at in terms of grounding their players. You get grounded very quickly coming back. It is good to get down to business.”
Curry and de Klerk will both be back in action for their club in Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup round two pool match against La Rochelle at the AJ Bell Stadium. The Sharks are back in the big time in Europe and need a victory after losing their opening game against Glasgow last Saturday, although Curry says the importance of the match is irrelevant.
“I approach every game the same, to be honest,” he said. “Otherwise you’ll be up and down like a roller-coaster. So treat every game the same. I’m sure La Rochelle are going to be a great opponent to play coming back so we’re going to have to be on the money this week.”
Meanwhile, Curry is hoping Eddie Jones will stay on as England head coach for the next World Cup after enjoying a remarkable introduction to the Test scene under the 59-year-old Australian, who is contracted up to 2021 but has made no commitment beyond that date.
“I don’t have a crystal ball – there are people in higher positions that make those decisions – but he’s been an unbelievable not just coach but mentor in that he keeps you in check and makes sure you’re getting better every day,” Curry said.
“As a youngster, learning from those people and being around not just him but the environment that he creates, is really special, it’s something he probably ingrains into you how you are as a player moving forward.”
- Press Association
WATCH: RugbyPass looks back on some of our favourite moments with the fans at the World Cup in Japan
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To be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
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