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Sale Sharks flanker Ben Curry wants to end questions over Tom Curry’s future after Bristol Bears win - ‘Stop doing that’
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Updated 28/12/2024 at 00:07 GMT
Ben Curry put in a player-of-the-match performance for Sale Sharks as they defeated Bristol Bears 38-0. The win lifted the team into third place in the Gallagher Premiership Rugby table. After the win, Ben said his twin brother Tom Curry would be fit enough to play for years to come, and said that the flanker was in "unbelievable condition" despite his hip surgery.
'Unbelievably proud' Curry praises new Sale defence coach McGuigan after huge win
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Sale Sharks flanker Ben Curry said that Tom Curry would be playing for "a long time" after their side’s 38-0 win at Bristol Bears and claimed his brother was in "unbelievable condition".
The twins shared the pitch in a hugely impressive victory in Bristol, with Ben Curry scoring one of the tries along the way to their win.
Sale moved into third spot in the Gallagher Premiership Rugby table, five points behind Bristol and also Bath, with the latter having a game in hand on them both.
The win was something of an upset, not because of Bath’s quality, but because Bristol are an impressive outfit in their own right.
Curry, player of the match, told TNT Sports that it had been a tough place to come.
He explained: "Fair play to Bristol, they do put on a spectacle. These are the games you want to be playing. We spoke in the week about how they have unbelievable support, and we were going to have to rely on ourselves.
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Sharks seal stunning shutout victory over Bristol
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"In terms of rugby, it wasn’t perfect, especially in attack, but I think we showed real togetherness. Unbelievably proud of this performance."
Curry was asked if he felt the win demonstrated that Sale were credible contenders this year, and while he said it was a good sign, proof would come at the end of the season.
He answered: "I guess we’ll see by the end of the season. We get written off a lot, we speak about that.
"I think [it was said] that people below us had a better chance of getting top four so we feel like we have something to prove. Not just to ourselves, but to other people, and I think that was a step in the right direction tonight."
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Tom and Ben Curry during Sale Sharks training
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Sales have Byron McGuigan in place as their defensive coach, and Curry was quick to praise not just his attention to detail, but his ability to inspire commitment.
He explained: "Byron works unbelievably hard. In terms of the system, very detailed, but I think you see tonight: lads want to put their heads in dark places for him. ‘I want to hit for Byron, that hits for Bryon,’ and that’s like 99% of defence.
"When you’ve got a defence coach you want to put your head in dark places for, I think you get performances like that."
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'Stunning!' - O'Flaherty runs length of pitch to score as Sale pile on points
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Curry was also asked about what it was like to play alongside his twin, Tom, who had been diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome earlier in the year, and underwent hip surgery, which may not fully solve the problem for the coming years.
However, Ben Curry made it clear he expected his brother to be competing for many years to come.
He said: "Can people stop talking about his longevity? He’s 26! Every time people talk about his longevity, he seems fine.
"I really want people to stop talking about that, because he’s in unbelievable condition, one of the best players in the world when he’s on it - he’s going to be playing for a long time, so stop doing that please."
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