The gruesome injury that has put England flanker’s World Cup in jeopardy
With every season that passes, it becomes more and more unbelievable that crocodile rolls are still allowed in the game.
Sure, in theory they are illegal due to players going off their feet etc. but players are rarely punished for the clear out method and the number of casualties as a result of the technique grows each season.
England flanker and Sale Sharks captain Ben Curry was the latest player to fall victim to a croc roll on Sunday, and was subsequently stretched off the AJ Bell Stadium turf in the first half of the Gallagher premiership semi-final clash with Leicester Tigers after being cleared out by loosehead Tom West.
He won a penalty, but it looks as though the flanker picked up a hamstring injury as a result of the clear out and will not only miss the final against Saracens at Twickenham, after Sale beat Leicester, but reports have emerged that his chances of making the World Cup in September are in jeopardy as well.
Curry is of course not the first England flanker to suffer at the hands of croc rolls. Jack Willis has had a huge chunk of his career taken away from him following a knee injury after being cleared out this way against Italy in 2021.
The Sale man’s injury might not be as gruesome as Willis’ was, but it is nevertheless not pretty viewing. Take a look:
#SALvLEI #Sale
– Ben Curry with an injury to his L proximal hamstring
– Croc rolled towards his left side however left leg stays in ground
– Possible Hamstring strain/tear or possibility of Evulsion fractureNasty Injury wish the best. Raises the question about Croc rolls pic.twitter.com/TNQ1997yRA
— Rugby Injury Insight (@Rugby_Injuries) May 14, 2023
Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson addressed Curry’s injury after the match, say: “He will get a scan tomorrow. He is on crutches and he got carried off. We will see tomorrow, but I doubt if he will make the final.
“I spent the major part of my life down there with those guys (at Saracens), but I am so engrained in this here that it feels like I have been here forever. It adds a little bit more spice.”
