England have defended the decision to recall Tom Curry for Sunday’s clash with Japan even though he was knocked out against Australia a fortnight ago.
Curry will reprise his destructive ‘Kamikaze Kids’ partnership with Sam Underhill for the first time since the 2023 World Cup after being chosen at blindside flanker at the expense of Chandler Cunningham-South.
The selection has been made despite the Sale back row sustaining his second concussion of the season and fifth in two years when his head struck the knee of Australia’s Rob Valentini while making a tackle on November 9, forcing him to miss last Saturday’s defeat by South Africa.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso also sustained a head injury against the Wallabies but his recovery has not progressed as smoothly so the Exeter wing has been stood down for the Springboks and Japan games.
Head coach Steve Borthwick says that Curry has passed his graduated return to play protocols and is “desperate to be involved” in the Allianz Stadium showdown.
“The welfare health of players is paramount. Tom’s gone through all the protocols, a number of different consultations, and independent specialist consultations. The process has been very thorough,” Borthwick said.
“Every player is always treated on an individual basis. Manny was unavailable for selection because he wasn’t ready.
“I had a conversation with Tom, a player I have so much respect for, about what he wants to do. He’s a player who is desperate to play this weekend. He feels great and he’s raring to go.”
Curry’s return is one of two changes to the side toppled 29-20 by South Africa with George Furbank’s promotion at full-back coming at the expense of Freddie Steward, who was recalled against the Springboks on the strength of his aerial game but has now been dropped from the 23 altogether.
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Japan’s high-tempo playing style is designed to stress defences with the ball in hand and through short kicks, placing less of a premium on Steward’s dominance in the air.
Borthwick will be hoping to see more from Furbank, who will act as a second playmaker to Marcus Smith, following his quiet performances against New Zealand and the Wallabies earlier this month.
“Japan want to play fast, we want to play fast. We want to do some different things in the way we attack, hence the selection at full-back,” Borthwick said.
Asher Opoku-Fordjour is poised to make his Test debut off the bench despite only being called into the training squad when Joe Marler announced his Test retirement in the build up to the opener against New Zealand.
Opoku-Fordjour, a member part of the England Under-20 team that won the junior world cup during the summer, will provide cover at tighthead prop but has the rare ability of being an option on both sides of the scrum.
All set to face the Brave Blossoms 👊
Steve Borthwick has named his 23-man squad to take on Japan this Sunday 🌹@O2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/vfc90YmcHK— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 22, 2024
“In the first training session three weeks ago, Asher side-stepped two players and made a line break. You start seeing straight away that this a player with incredible athleticism,” Borthwick said.
“Joe Marler and Dan Cole gave me a recommendation for him. They said, ‘this guy’s a really good scrummager’. Then you start going, ‘right, there’s something in him’.”
Test centurion Cole has been dropped from the 23 to make room for Opoku-Fordjour on the bench, but Borthwick insists this is not the end of the road for the 37-year-old.
“I want to make sure that Dan Cole can continue being an England player for a long time. I sense no hesitation in him. I think he enjoys being part of the programme,” he said.
Borthwick will on Sunday lock horns with his predecessor as England boss and former coaching mentor Eddie Jones, who is now in charge of Japan.
“We know what a great coach he is, what a mind he has, what a great tactician he is. He’s incredibly competitive,” Borthwick said.
