Proudfoot: 'When England toured South Africa we highlighted him as one of the main threats in the team'
England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has been full of praise for flanker Tom Curry ahead of their final match of the Guinness Six Nations on Saturday against Ireland.
The Sale Sharks man is fresh from a performance against France last Saturday in which he showed a full bag of tricks and typified the energy England played with. He produced some crucial interventions in defence while being seemingly everywhere in attack, making the second most carries and most metres in the pack.
England Rugby shared Proudfoot’s analysis of the 22-year-old on Test Talk: Inside the bubble, in which his respect for the flanker dates back to his time as a member of the South Africa coaching team.
“In 2018 when England toured South Africa we highlighted him as one of the main threats in the team and we tried to get to him a little bit and pressurise him. I think in the first or second he was man of the match and he was 19 or 20 at that stage so it just speaks volumes for his character.”
The former Scotland international touched upon Curry’s influence on the team as well as his future amid growing speculation that he could one day lead England.
“Having worked with him and met him he’s astounded me at how he has an appetite to improve, how he wants to get better every day in every session and he’s just an unbelievable team man – that bodes well for his future that he will be a big part of the English pack going forward.”
With the British and Irish Lions series against the Springboks on the horizon, Curry is in a strong position to be selected by Warren Gatland, but every Test is another audition and the visit to the Aviva Stadium this weekend will be no different.
'Tom is a hell of a player now and will get better and better and turn into someone like Richie McCaw.'
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/Sv5unxoLGf
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 15, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Average AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
7 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
7 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to comments