Asher Opoku-Fordjour backed for greatness in Lions training camp by Sale teammate Ben Curry

Farrell went back to the drawing board, as over 40% of his 38-man squad departed back to their clubs for the Premiership and URC Finals, or were ruled out with injuries. The head coach re-stocked his squad with an array of fresh faces, which included the highly rated Sale and England prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour.

The Sharks man is expected to build upon his sole England cap this Summer, and join up with Steve Borthwick's squad ahead of the tour of Argentina and the United States. The front rower's Sale teammate Ben Curry, is excited to see what he will learn from his trip to the Lions den, as he trains against the best forwards that Britain and Ireland have to offer.

"Asher, he's still very young, he's going to grow, he's got so much potential to grow." Curry said, at England's training complex in Bagshot, Surrey. "I think experiences like that, even if it's just for the week, not just from a physical and technical perspective, but for [his] mentality, for him to just be around like the best players in the world, could do wonders for him.

"His ceiling is so high it's unbelievable. So even just to have a sniff, he's going to come back and he's just going to go from strength to strength. I've got full confidence in that."

By all accounts, Opoku-Fordjour is a man of few words even in the comfort of the Sale camp. Curry does not expect the prop to be leading the group discussions out in Portugal, as the young front row tends to keep his cards very close to his chest.

"He's very quiet. You wouldn't be able to tell if he's panicking, he's happy, if he's sad, you can't tell. He's very expressionless, but he's a top bloke. He's surrounded by very good people, like his brothers. I think there's three of them and they are all really good people. One of them just got five tries for Coventry, so I'll tell him [Asher] to get Sale to sign him. He's an unbelievable person. We're very lucky to have him."

The main reason behind the mass turn-around of players within the Lions camp, is that both the Premiership and United Rugby Championship Finals take place this Saturday, June 14th. Bath host Leicester Tigers at the Allianz Stadium for the top prize in English club rugby, whilst Leinster battle the Bulls to be crowned champions of the URC in Dublin's iconic Croke Park.

Sale's chances of reaching the Premiership Final were dashed this past weekend, as Leicester battled for the spoils of a hard-fought semi-final. The Tigers secured a 21-16 win at Welford Road, in what marked the end of the line for Alex Sanderson's men for the 2024/25 season.

It was a bitter blow of disappointment for Curry, on top of having missed the grade for the Lions squad that is set to jet out to Australia in a few short weeks. However, Curry showcased an impressive resolve in how he is assessing the next available opportunity, with the resiliency to bounce back from the lows and put his best foot forward into the England camp for a memorable Summer across the Americas.

"Yep, nail on the head. It's the perfect position, very disappointed after the semi final, but the beauty of rugby is, there's always something next. We're quite fortunate that it's straight away, instead of having to wait five weeks or so, no, especially with the intensity of the environment. In five weeks, I might address those emotions, but right now, it's quite nice to just throw yourself into something different."

The re-occurring story for many a British & Irish Lions tour, has been the late call-up to the squad following an unfortunate injury to an overseas star. Having excelled in England's latest Six Nations campaign, pundits and fans alike were surprised to see the Sale man miss the grade for a place in Andy Farrell's touring side.

Curry is considered by most Lions fans to be a 'stand-bye' player for the Summer, with the possibility of a late flight from Argentina to Australia not an impossibility for the back row. The change of tours would see the Curry twins re-unite for a fabled run in the red jerseys, as Tom Curry has earned a spot upon the touring squad. However, Ben Curry is keeping his head down and focusing solely on England duties, as the 26-year-old stops the outside noise from becoming too much of a distraction.

"I haven't heard anything. [from the Lions] So for me, I just want to play for England. I'll be honest. I've literally heard nothing, so I wouldn't have a clue."

ASHER OPOKU-FORDJOUR IN THE LIONS CAMP / WHAT ASHER IS LIKE & HIS BROTHERS