England flanker Tom Curry is poised for a long-awaited return to action for Sale Sharks’ semi-final against Bath on Saturday after being sidelined since the World Cup with a severe hip injury he described as a “car crash.”
The 25-year-old was expected to miss the entire domestic season after having the six-hour operation on his hip after last year’s World Cup campaign to rectify chronic damage.
However, reports are emerging that the influential back rower has been cleared for a comeback and is in contention to start for Sale’s semi-final trip to the Rec.
In Curry’s absence, last year’s Premiership runners-up stormed up the table from eighth place to finish third, in which they picked up 24 league points from a possible 25 in their final five fixtures to earn a semi-final spot.
If head coach Alex Sanderson selects Curry, he would be a huge boost to the Sharks’ chances of booking back-to-back trips to the final, and could also be reunited with brother Ben in the back row, who has been in stellar form.
Curry’s return also provides hope of selection for England’s upcoming summer tour of Japan and New Zealand with head coach Steve Borthwick keeping a close eye on the action this weekend.
Earlier in the week, Borthwick named a 19-man squad for a four-day training camp in preparation for the tour however, it excluded players from Northampton Saints, Saracens, Bath and Sale as they prepare for this weekend’s play-off action.
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