Tom Curry’s sporting career could have been very different had it not been for a misplaced header.
The England and Sale flanker once featured on trial for Manchester City as a youngster.
Alongside twin brother Ben, the pair were invited to the Premier League giants by scouts after a school fixture.
However, Tom’s misfortune during the trial ultimately ended both their football careers.
Instead, the siblings have both gone on to play international rugby union for England.
For Tom, he is set to start for the British & Irish Lions against Argentina in Dublin on Friday live on talkSPORT.
It will kickstart his second Lions tour, having started all three tests against South Africa in 2021 as the tourists fell to a 2-1 series defeat.
The 27-year-old is fit to feature amongst Andy Farrell’s forwards after recovering from a minor hamstring injury at the end of the club season.
Curry has put off surgery on a wrist ligament issue until after the tour, though, in order to represent the Lions.
Had it not been for an own goal, he may well have been at the Club World Cup in the USA instead.
Ben landed both brothers a trial at City after impressing scouts, Tom revealed in 2020.
He told the BBC: “I do owe Ben one, though, because I’m the main reason we didn’t become professional footballers.
British & Irish Lions starting XV vs Argentina
Backs
15. Marcus Smith
14. Tommy Freeman
13. Sione Tuipulotu
12. Bundee Aki
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Fin Smith
9. Alex Mitchell
Forwards
1. Ellis Genge
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Maro Itoje (C)
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Tom Curry
7. Jac Morgan
8. Ben Earl
Replacements
- Ronan Kelleher
- Pierre Schoeman
- Tadhg Furlong
- Scott Cummings
- Henry Pollock
- Tomos Williams
- Elliot Daly
- Mack Hansen
“One day, scouts from Manchester City came to watch our school team play. I was running on the stairs, tripped over and split my shin open, so ended up getting rushed to hospital and couldn’t play.
“Luckily the scouts were impressed with Ben at centre-back and when they found out he had an identical twin they were like: ‘Great, bring them both along.’
“A few months down the line, we were playing for City against this Dutch team. I tried to head the ball back to the goalkeeper but instead placed a beautiful header straight past him into the goal.
“And that was that. That was our football career over. So, long story short, Ben got us in and I got us out!”
After their City setback, the pair went on to break into the first-team at boyhood club Sale having ditched football for rugby.
Tom made his professional debut aged just 18 in October 2016 as he made club history against Scarlets in the European Champions Cup.
At the time, he was the youngest Sharks player to appear for the club in the competition.
As for Ben, his debut came just a month later, whilst he also has 10 appearances for the Red Roses to his name.
It will be Tom in action this summer, though, on his second consecutive Lions tour.
The flanker is also a veteran of two Rugby World Cups, starting the 2019 final defeat to South Africa in Yokohama.
Farrell’s side begin their schedule against the Pumas at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
They will then jet to Australia for five warm-up matches, with the entire tour broadcast exclusively live on talkSPORT from Down Under.
British & Irish Lions schedule
June 20 – Argentina, Dublin
June 28 – Western Force, Perth
July 2 – Queensland Reds, Brisbane
July 5 – New South Wales Waratahs, Sydney
July 9 – ACT Brumbies, Canberra
July 12 – Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide
July 19 – First test vs Australia, Brisbane
July 22 – First Nations & Pasifika XV, Melbourne
July 26 – Second test vs Australia, Melbourne
August 2 – Third test vs Australia, Sydney
The Lions and the Wallabies will then meet in the first test in Brisbane on July 19.
A match against a First Nations and Pasifika XV has been scheduled for in between the first and second tests.
Meanwhile, the series will conclude in Sydney on August 2 with the third test.
Their previous tour of Australia in 2013 ended in a 2-1 series victory after wins in Brisbane and Sydney.
