Rugby's head injury issues underlined by Curry return

A hush descended on Allianz Stadium as an apparently unconscious Tom Curry received treatment from the medics while he lay prone on the Twickenham turf.

- LUKE BAKER

The England flanker’s head had collided with the knee of Rob Valetini as he tried to tackle the rampaging Australian back row and he appeared to be out cold.

It was actually Valetini himself who realised the severity of the situation and urged referee Ben O’Keeffe to stop the game so Curry could be treated more quickly. Thankfully, a few minutes later, Curry walked off the pitch with the help of the medical staff and was even able to offer a wan smile as he was clapped by the capacity crowd.

Unfortunately, the 26-year-old Curry is no stranger to head injuries having sustained his previous one in mid-September while playing for club side Sale Sharks – his fifth concussion in two years. He also flew home early from England’s 2022 tour of Australia after sustaining a third concussion in six months.

His all-action, fearless style of play, which once saw him and Sam Underhill dubbed England’s “Kamikaze Kids” by Eddie Jones, seems to make him more susceptible to this type of injury. In old-school rugby parlance, Curry is “not afraid to put his head where it hurts” – a phrase traditionally delivered as a positive character reference and generally accompanied by a belief that after “getting your bell rung”, a quick dose of smelling salts should be enough for you to get back out there.

The Valetini collision happened during England’s dramatic 4237 defeat to the Wallabies on 9 November and, just two weeks later, Curry looks set to be back on the pitch for Sunday’s clash against Japan, with all signs suggesting he will be in Steve Borthwick’s 23-man matchday squad when it’s named today.

This remarkably quick return for a man who suffered the latest in an ever-growing number of brain injuries – which is what concussions are – raises uncomfortable questions for rugby and brings their concussion problem firmly back under the spotlight, if it ever actually retreated into the shadows.