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Ben Curry is excited to go watch his twin, Tom, in the World Cup final


When the Sale flanker Ben Curry was given special dispensation by his club to travel to Yokohama to watch his identical twin brother, Tom, play for England in Saturday’s World Cup final he immediately texted him the good news – only to receive a very modern reply. “He just sent a funny gif of me at last year’s Under-20 World Cup in France saying ‘Hi guys’,” says Ben. “And then he wrote ‘Ben rocking up in Japan’ underneath.

He starts to laugh. “We’re like an old married couple, we don’t say too much to each other,” the 21-year-old says, laughing away. “But he’s done very well. Through his own hard work he has been given that chance. I am very proud of him.”

If circumstances had played out differently, it might have been Ben lining up against South Africa on Saturday. In 2017, he was picked on the bench for an England XV to face the Barbarians before the tour of Argentina, only for a back injury to lead to his withdrawal and for Tom, his younger brother by 90 minutes, to take his place.

Tom has had his own struggles with injury since then, but has been a revelation in tandem with Sam Underhill at the World Cup, putting in a man-of-the-match performance in England’s destructive quarter-final win against Australia, and following it up with another impressive display in the victory over New Zealand. “He said he was knackered,” says Ben. “But you don’t win those games without 100% effort. It’s very tiring but it’s a World Cup final and he will be ready.”


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Ben insists there is no part of him that wishes he could sneak into his brother’s England jersey on Saturday. “I am going out there solely to support him and England,” he says. “As a family we support each other in whatever we do, whether its an under-15 final or one of the biggest stages in sport.”

The brothers have come through the system at Sale Sharks, and Ben is full of praise for the club’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond, and especially his willingness to bring through young players. “If you give that trust to young players, most of the time they give that back,” he says. “Diams has done really well both to develop players and give them the opportunity to succeed. Because if you don’t give them the opportunity they can’t take it.”

It was Diamond who agreed that Curry should be allowed to travel to Yokohama on Tuesday – which means the flanker will miss Sale’s Premiership game at Bristol Bears on Friday – because he felt it was the right thing to do.

“I massively appreciate what he and Sale have done,” said Curry. “It just shows how much of a family-orientated club this is. I don’t think many others would have done it. It’s a privilege it is to be part of this club.”

The brothers are clearly close, and still share a house near Altrincham – one that Ben insists is now much tidier in his brother’s absence. “Since he’s been away I’ve also got two cats, which he is looking forward to meeting, but apart from that nothing has really changed,” he says.

“We have lived together for 21 years now – you kind of get bored with each other. It’s nice to spend some time out of each other’s back pockets.”

It is clear the competitive fires still burn between them – whether its on the PlayStation or the pitch. “When I was younger I bashed him at Fifa. And I’m better at table tennis, golf, swimming … and rugby,” he says, smiling.

In four years’ time at the next World Cup in France he intends to be playing with Tom in England’s back row. “I am very fortunate to be part of Tom’s journey, and to be close to it, but the drive from every back‑rower is the same,” says Ben. “We are all desperate to play in that shirt.

“So I have to continue to develop each day and when Tom does come back to learn from him. Because he is one of the best players in the world right now. Why wouldn’t I want to emulate him, and learn from what he is doing?”



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