Tom Curry walks into the boardroom at Sale's training ground with a spring in his step.
He sits down to give T chapter and verse on his brush with retirement, the debilitating hip injury that required six-hour surgery and his gruelling recovery with an openness you would not always associate with one of rugby's most intense operators. He soon speaks of the five stages of grief and, after 45 minutes in his company, it is clear that Curry has reached acceptance.
To recap, Curry was feeling discomfort in his hip towards the back end of England's World Cup campaign last year. It did not take long after returning to Sale to discover that "something wasn't right" and the subsequent scan delivered a prognosis that floored him. "I had a Zoom with the surgeon and he said you are probably going to retire," says Curry, still just 26.
"I literally just cried. I curled up into a ball. I just couldn't really process it. It was a surreal moment.
But you just have to go through those raw emotions then process it all. My biggest thing - the hardest bit was getting to the surgery. I had three weeks until the surgery and I couldn't really do anything.
You are limping around, you have retirement in your head and you're being useless to everyone." The road to recovery was a slog and went via Loughborough where Curry had to "learn to run again" before he could even think about returning to the field. "It's the day-to-day stuff, like being able to go for a dog walk and not limping. That's the big relief, those small tasks, because I was almost getting into a habit of limping.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin September 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
"They can't get away scot-free' EFL wants to charge Leicester with PSR breach if relegated
The English Football League wants to charge Leicester over the alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) the Premier League was blocked from pursuing this month, if the club are relegated.
Rodgers’ star on rise again as rampant Celtic extend perfect start
This proved a modern day Celtic Park rarity.
City off-colour as Gündogan's late misses hand dogged Inter a point
Manchester City know only too well how tough a nut Inter are to crack.
Significant ankle damage rules Ødegaard out 'for a while'
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Ødegaard has damaged ankle ligaments and will be sidelined \"for a while\" after the Arsenal captain was injured on international duty.
Salvatore Schillaci, 1964-2024 Italy mourns its goalscoring hero from 1990 World Cup
Tributes have been paid to Salvatore Schillaci after the former Italy forward died at the age of 59.
Captain Brook hands rebooted England licence to entertain
In one sense the five-match ODI series between England and Australia that starts in Nottingham today is slightly lacking in wider context.
'Any free time, I'll go fishing.My missus thinks I'm a bit weird'
Ollie Sleightholme, who is geared up for title defence, explains how angling relieves the pressures Northampton's
Itoje rejects Jones’ claims he is not suited to captaincy
Maro Itoje has rejected claims by the former England head coach Eddie Jones that he is \"very inward-looking\" and not suited to Test captaincy, after being unveiled as Saracens' skipper.
Floods and tears Worcestershire dig deep to shine despite adversity and tragedy
Somerset could still win their first County Championship title, while Surrey remain on for the three-peat.
Remote working Like it or loathe it, WFH looks like it is here to stay
Four years ago when the world of work was upended by the Covid pandemic, confident were made predictions that a permanent shift in remote working would follow the removal of lockdown restrictions.