Tom Curry's training injury has changed England's back-row picture just days before their autumn opener, and it has put Ben Curry firmly into contention to start against Australia on Sunday.
England had already been dealing with injuries to Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill, so Tom Curry had been expected to lead the back-row unit for Steve Borthwick's first match of the campaign. But after pulling up injured during Wednesday's full-bore training session, his availability is now in doubt ahead of Friday's finalised team announcement.
Ben Curry back in the mix
If Tom Curry is unable to play, Ben Curry is the most obvious direct replacement. He has not started for England since the 2025 summer tour of Argentina and the USA, and his own recent run has been interrupted by long-term hamstring injuries. That makes this a significant chance for him to re-enter the starting conversation at international level.
The timing matters because England are facing Australia in a fixture that should be a demanding test at the breakdown. Richard Wigglesworth has already pointed to the force of Australia's jackal threat, saying Fraser McReight stands out but that the Wallabies have multiple players who can win the ball back and create unstructured attack. He also noted that England have several players capable of handling that area, including the Currys and Henry Pollock, with Maro Itoje also ranking highly in that respect.
Tom Curry's recent record underlines why his absence would be felt. After the 2023 World Cup, he was sidelined for eight months with a hip problem, but in 2025 he returned to play a starring role in the British & Irish Lions series win over Australia. Since then, Steve Borthwick has often used him as an impact replacement, and he had been expected to start England's autumn campaign before the setback on Wednesday.
For Ben Curry, this is not just a chance to cover an injury. It is an opportunity to reclaim a starting role in a side that is still working through its back-row options. If he is selected, England would again have a familiar sibling presence in a match that now carries a slightly different shape than it did at the start of the week.
The final answer arrives on Friday, but the injury has already made one thing clear: Ben Curry is now very much in the frame for England's opener on Sunday.
