Lions Star to Undergo Surgery After Battling Through Entire Tour with Painful Injury

Saturday, 02 August 2025 at 18:37

byRugby Rucker

England flanker Tom Curry is set to undergo surgery on a wrist ligament injury — but only after playing a starring role in the British and Irish Lions’ hard-fought 2-1 series win over Australia.

The Sale Sharks powerhouse was arguably the player of the series, answering his critics in emphatic fashion after questions were raised over his selection for the first Test. Curry’s performances were relentless, physical, and full of heart — a key figure as the Lions roared to victory Down Under.

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But it’s now been revealed that Curry has been carrying a long-standing wrist issue — and will need an operation when he returns from Lions duty.

“He will need an operation at some point, but he's clearly able to manage it and play through whatever pain he's experiencing currently,” said Sale head coach Alex Sanderson.

“It's not something that is stopping his game minutes or something that's managing his training minutes either.

"He had to play and play through to see if he could, and if the risk was minimised, which the specialist was happy with, and the pain was manageable, which it clearly is for the superhuman that he is, then he'd put himself up for Lions selection.

"The alternative is he could have an operation now and he'd probably miss the last run of games and he might miss the first two games of the Lions.

"That wasn't a solution, because the level of competition for his position was so high, he had to see if he could manage it."

With the series now in the books, Curry is expected to finally address the injury — but not before cementing his place as one of the Lions' standout performers on Australian soil.

"Tragic ending" - Five Lions players who flopped in final test against Australia

Amid torrential rain, brutal conditions, and a hostile home crowd, several key Lions players failed to deliver when it mattered most.

From costly handling errors to poor decision-making and defensive lapses, these five players stood out for all the wrong reasons as the Wallabies sealed a memorable victory.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ biggest disappointments on a night that ended in heartbreak.

#1. Bundee Aki

Struggled in wet conditions, initially promising with strong carries but quickly neutralized by Australia’s defense. Committed costly handling errors, including a knock-on near his own tryline and an offside penalty that extended Australia’s lead. Missed a key pass that led to an Australian try and was frequently swallowed up by defenders. Overall, a very poor performance with uncharacteristic mistakes throughout.

Rugby Pass 3/10: "Given the conditions, there was understandably not a lot of width put on the ball, which made Aki’s hard carries all the more important, and he looked promising at first, but the Wallabies handled him comfortably as the match developed. Made a costly knock-on in front of his line, and was unceremoniously swarmed on and held up on a couple of occasions by the voracious Wallaby defence. An offside penalty allowed the Wallabies to extend their lead in the first half, and his handling deteriorated to the point where he could barely hold the ball in the second half."

BALLS 4/10: "Swallowed up and conceded a turnover on carry off a Lions lineout. Costly knock-on near his tryline. Was getting bounced back on some hard carries. Overran line and missed Kinghorn pass, leading to Jorgensen try. Another error, on 58 minutes. Offloaded out of play, but Lions had advantage."

Telegraph 2/10: "A Farrell loyalty pick that completely backfired. Kept turning over possession and eventually gave Jorgensen a try on a plate."

#2. Owen Farrell

Came on early causing a backline reshuffle but failed to influence the game significantly. Tried to steer the team but couldn’t find control in difficult conditions, making minimal impact on the outcome.

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Forced an awkward backline reshuffle when he replaced Freeman before half time, but that is the risk that comes with a 6-2 bench split. Then again, who better to bring on to steer his side to victory in troubling conditions? Unfortunately, he could not get a grip on the game."

BALLS 4/10: "Made very little impact."

#3. Finn Russell

Showed glimpses of his game management skills but made some questionable decisions, including an ill-timed quick tap and a sloppy knock-on. His kicking had moments of brilliance but lacked consistency. Overall, an average performance given the challenging weather.

Rugby Pass 5/10: "A deluge does not scream out ‘Finn Russell masterclass’, but these were the conditions that offered him an opportunity to display his game management credentials. Maybe didn’t deliver as much as many would have liked, with some strange decisions, particularly a quick tap when it was not the time or place. There were some nice kicks, but not enough, possibly. One sloppy knock-on was forgivable given the circumstances."

RUCK 5/10: "Showed that he is in fact human, as he knocked the ball on with an unforced error, as the rain poured down in Sydney."

BALLS 5/10: "Clever kick into the corner had Australia scrambling, after the first try. Juggled the ball like a bar of soap, and knocked on, 23 minutes in. Put too much on one kick to give Wright an easy mark. Lovely low kick set Jones away up the wing."

#4. Andrew Porter

Struggled against the dominant Tupou and Skelton upfront, his scrummaging flaws exposed. Penalized multiple times and found it difficult to assert himself in the scrum. Was active in defense but largely overpowered by Australia’s forwards.

Telegraph 4/10: "Dominated by Tupou as his suspect scrummaging angles finally came back to bite him. Genge should have been brought on much sooner. "

BALLS 4/10: "Scrum had it much tougher than in the Second Test. Got pinged in the first half. Was a tackling machine as the Lions had to dig deep. Penalised again, early in the second half."

RUCK 5.5/10: "Slipped at a scrum on the Lions' 5m line, as the torrential rain was havoc at scrum-time. Struggled up-front against the 283 combined kilos of tight-head prop Taniela Tupou and lock Will Skelton that forced the Irishman backwards."

RUCK 4/10: "Up against Taniela Tupou, with Will Skelton behind him, Porter popped up in one scrum and was penalised after 20 minutes. Did not get much success thereafter. Busy in defence, but was roped off during the storm delay."

#5. Dan Sheehan

Lineout accuracy suffered badly in the rain, with multiple throws stolen by Australia. Had strong carries early but a controversial clearout on Lynagh and poor lineout delivery marred his impact. Took on leadership after Itoje’s injury but couldn’t turn the tide.

Telegraph 3/10: "Superman last week, more like Clark Kent tonight. The line-out became a crapshoot in the rain and should have been sent off for his cheap shot on Lynagh."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Lineout was put under the most pressure it has been all series, and Sheehan’s throwing did faltered in the face of a torrent of rain in front of him. Little impact in the loose, but was part of an elaborate five-metre tap routine this time round following his shenanigans last week."

RUCK 5.5/10: "Struggled to deliver line-out ball to the re-shuffled pack, once both Itoje and Ryan went off with injuries. Handed the captaincy and led for a brief part of the final Test for a personal honour upon Itoje's exit. Back for double duty following Kelleher's sin-bin."

BALLS 4/10: "Strong carries, early on. Had 17th minute lineout picked off. Fortunate his clearout on Tom Lynagh was not studied closer. Had two lineouts in a row yoinked by the Aussies. Returned back to cover for sin-binned Kelleher and had another lineout picked off."