The career arc of twins Tom and Ben Curry started as they both appear – identical.
Both played at flanker, broke into the Sale team in 2016-17, won the Under-20 Six Nations, and were selected by Eddie Jones for England’s summer tour of Argentina at the end of their first season of professional rugby.
Still only 18, it was not just their appearance that made knowing who was who difficult, but their performances on the pitch.
“It is not a joke – I just tell the coaches to bring me one of those Currys,” former Sale head coach Steve Diamond said in 2017. “He then tells us who he is.”
Injury prevented Ben, who captained Tom at under-20 level earlier that year and is the older brother by 90 minutes, from making his England debut that summer.
Tom stole the march on his brother to become the youngest England starter in more than 90 years against Argentina, after being named player of the match against the Barbarians – a game that Ben had been picked to start before giving up his spot to Tom because of a back injury.
Back then, it felt a matter of time before both would play together for their country.
Eight years later, in their ninth season of professional rugby together, they are finally set to make history as the first twin brothers to start a Test match together for England.
The brothers, who started playing rugby together as four year olds, have been named in the starting line-up for England’s Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday.
