Tom Curry defers wrist operation until after the British and Irish Lions tour – with Sale and England flanker set to play through the pain in Australia

‘Super-human’ Tom Curry has deferred a wrist operation until after the Lions tour and will play through pain in the damaged joint to be available for the British and Irish mission to Australia.

Sale revealed on Monday that the hamstring injury sustained by their England flanker at Leicester last Friday night is minor and won’t threaten his involvement in the business end of the Premiership season or the Lions’ crusade Down Under. 

However, the 26-year-old has been troubled by a wrist problem for several weeks and it emerged that surgery is needed; but will have to wait.

At Welford Road, Tom Curry was replaced by twin brother Ben in the first half of his club’s defeat against Leicester – creating an injury scare just a day after the Lions squad was announced. 

But after a scan, Sale’s director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, delivered a positive update, saying: ‘Tom’s injury is as good as we could have hoped for. He had a scan and it’s a 1B (strain) on his hamstring, which is the lowest grade you can have with a hamstring injury. It won’t rule him out of anything other than this weekend.’

While the bulletin is good news for Sale and for Lions head coach Andy Farrell, Sanderson admitted that the wrist injury Tom Curry has been carrying will require surgical intervention this summer. In the mean-time, the openside is just having to grit his teeth and keep going.

‘It is a ligament injury and he will have an operation after the tour, but clearly he is able to manage it and play through whatever pain he is experiencing,’ he added. 

‘The Lions are aware of the wrist problem. He had to play through to know that he could, and the specialist was happy that the injury is manageable for the super-human he is.

‘The alternative was to have an operation now, miss our remaining games and the first two of the Lions tour. But that wasn’t an option because of the competition being so high for his position.’

Sanderson revealed that Sale’s England hooker, Luke Cowan-Dickie, had a scan on a nagging leg injury which has forced him to alter his running gait recently, but the results were encouraging. He also voiced renewed support for his veteran fly-half George Ford, who has been in imperious form for the title-chasing Sharks since the Six Nations.

Asked if he hoped the 32-year-old could earn a late Lions call-up if Owen Farrell is deemed unready – after his father left the door open for a squad summons – Sanderson said: It’s not just a hope. I think he really deserves it.

‘You say what you will about international selection – it is subjective, and on the back of the results Fin Smith has attained being there (at 10 for England), you could argue that was a good decision. But on a tour, away from home, having the ability to pull people together, with George’s ability to galvanise a group, I just haven’t worked with anyone better. I haven’t.

‘That includes Owen Farrell – and he’s a great; one of the greatest. But George, with the form he’s in, and having worked with them both… yeah, why wouldn’t you pick him?’

Former England scrum-half Danny Care has announced that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of this season. 

The 38-year-old Harlequins legend will hang up his boots as a decorated and acclaimed Test centurion, and a loyal stalwart of the London club, having made 394 appearances in almost 19 years of service, since joining Quins from Leeds in 2006.