Page 20 - OO_2018

FEATURE
England cap is Ben’s goal
Ben Curry (S 16) tells Simon Redfern (Sc 75) about his rapid rise up the rugby ladder and his plans for the future
When Ben Curry was picked for the England senior rugby tour of Argentina in 2017, less than a year after leaving the School, many of his congratulatory texts and emails came from the Oundle community.
That was indicative of the support the 20-year-old flanker received from the School as he climbed the inter- national ladder – from England U16 to the seniors via the U18s and U20s.
“Oundle allowed me to achieve what I wanted, both on and off the pitch,” he recalled. “The staff showed flexibility and patience when it came to rugby, and were massively supportive, which gave me confidence.”
Ben, who was born in Hounslow in West London, had first become involved in rugby at the age of just four, when his father took him down to London Grasshoppers.
He takes up the story: “I moved from London Grasshoppers to Crewe & Nantwich aged six and from there worked my way through the county system, playing for Cheshire U15 and U16, before being selected for North of England U16.
“At the age of 15 I was fortunate enough to be selected for Sale Sharks and have been there since.”
His father handed over Ben’s coaching to the School – and especially his uncle, John Olver – when he moved from Bishop Heber High School in Cheshire to
Oundle in 2014.
Ben continues: “Two
Ben leads out England against Argentina in the World Rugby Under- 20 Championship in May
years ago I captained Sale Sharks U18, played for England U18 and finished the year off with a professional contract.
“In my first year \[2016\] I played for Sale F.C. eight times, which was followed by an England U20 call-up for the Six Nations, when we won the Grand Slam, and regular first-team rugby for Sale Sharks.”
Ben made his professional debut in the Anglo-Welsh Cup against Wasps in November 2016 and then later that month he and brother Tom (G 16) became only the fourth set of twins to play side by side in the English Premiership.
“The season was capped off by a call-up to the England first team for the annual Barbarians match and to tour Argentina,” he added.
However, he had to pull out of the squad due to a back injury and so Tom was selected as an England replacement for the Barbarians match in May 2017, when he produced a man-of-the-match performance.
Tom went on to become the youngest player to start an
international for England in 90 years when he
made his senior bow in Argentina on the
2017 summer tour.
Nevertheless, Ben still
describes that initial senior
selection as the highlight of his
rugby career so far. “The greatest
moment would have to be that morning, waking up to find out you’ve been announced in the England first-team squad,” he said. “I received loads of messages, especially from the Oundle community.”
Having missed out on a possible Test debut last year just makes Ben more determined to follow in the footsteps of his brother, who now has four caps.
“He has done well and I’m very proud of that, but we are our own people and we will take different career paths, so when my time is right, hopefully I will be there,” he said.
“My main goal is to play for England. As a child growing up, they’re the moments you dream of, so all my work is focused on that.”
He is certainly on his way, having made a total of 49 appearances and scored 10 tries for the Sharks in two seasons, and then this year captained England to the World Rugby U20 Championship final in June.
“Losing the final was upsetting,” Ben commented. “I thought we could have won on a different day, but to lead your country in front of 20,000 people is something I will never forget. It was a huge honour and I was very humbled to be asked to do the job.”
He plans to continue playing professional rugby “as long as my body lets me”. “Post rugby, I don’t have any plans yet, but I’m about to start a degree in Business Management, which will open
my options – as will the contacts I have made through Oundle,” he concluded.
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THE OLD OUNDELIAN 2017 –2018