History beckons as Curry twins' dream comes true

Men's Six Nations: Ireland v England

Venue: Aviva Stadium Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT

Coverage: Listen unrecorded connected BBC Radio 5 Live; substance commentary and highlights connected BBC Sport website and app; ticker connected ITV1.

The vocation arc of twins Tom and Ben Curry started arsenic they some look – identical.

Both played astatine flanker, broke into the Sale squad successful 2016-17, won the Under-20 Six Nations, and were selected by Eddie Jones for England's summertime circuit of Argentina astatine the extremity of their archetypal play of nonrecreational rugby.

Still lone 18, it was not conscionable their quality that made knowing who was who difficult, but their performances connected the pitch.

"It is not a gag - I conscionable archer the coaches to bring maine 1 of those Curries," erstwhile Sale caput manager Steve Diamond said successful 2017. "He past tells america who helium is."

Injury prevented Ben, who captained Tom astatine under-20 level earlier that twelvemonth and is the older member by 90 minutes, from making his England debut that summer.

Tom stole the march connected his member to go the youngest England starter successful much than 90 years against Argentina, aft being named subordinate of the lucifer against the Barbarians – a crippled that Ben had been picked to commencement earlier giving up his spot to Tom due to the fact that of a backmost injury.

Back then, it felt a substance of clip earlier some would play unneurotic for their country.

Eight years later, successful their ninth play of nonrecreational rugby together, they are yet acceptable to marque past arsenic the archetypal duplicate brothers to commencement a Test lucifer unneurotic for England.

Both person been named successful the starting line-up for England's Six Nations opener against Ireland connected Saturday.

Growing up, the brothers competed successful each types of sports, including rugby, athletics, cricket and football.

But it was astatine indoor bowls wherever Tom archetypal got the precocious manus connected Ben, thing helium inactive reminds his identical duplicate about.

"In superior school, we had indoor bowls and I weirdly turned retired to beryllium truly bully astatine it," helium told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"I was champion wrong my school. It was 1 of my favourite trophies, it was massive."

Sport is successful the Curry blood. Their parent is simply a PE teacher, their begetter played rugby for Rosslyn Park erstwhile they were successful England's apical formation and coached the twins from the property of four, portion their uncle John Olver was a Northampton Saints and England hooker.

And they are not the lone internationals successful the family, arsenic their sister Charlotte represented Great Britain Under-17s astatine frisbee.

At 1 stage, the twins had dreams of a nonrecreational shot vocation for Manchester City but Tom says they ended erstwhile helium headed the shot past his ain goalkeeper during a game.

In their aboriginal years of playing rugby, the brothers recovered themselves lining up successful the backline together.

"It was Ben astatine 12 and I was astatine 10. I was a crash-ball 10 truthful the shot didn't get out," joked Tom.

"Tom past moved into the forwards archetypal and someway I got dragged in," added Ben.

Having grown up together, they decided against going their abstracted ways astatine the archetypal opportunity, and proceed to unrecorded nether the aforesaid extortion astatine the property of 26.

Not that they unrecorded identical lives astir the house.

"When we spell location it is each antheral for himself," Tom added. "We don't navigator oregon devour together. We conscionable bash our ain thing."

Despite combining efficaciously astatine nine level together, determination was much atrocious luck erstwhile it came to aligning astatine planetary level.

Following a speedy rise, Tom played successful a World Cup last successful 2019 astatine the property of 21, which his member was allowed to ticker aft a societal media run #GetBenToJapan helped him pluck up the courageousness to inquire if helium could miss Sale's crippled against Bristol to question to Japan.

Tom's operation with chap flanker Sam Underhill was a revelation during the tourney and resulted successful Jones nicknaming the brace the "kamikaze kids".

Strong Sale signifier led to Ben's archetypal headdress against the United States successful 2021, portion Tom was distant playing 3 Tests successful South Africa for the British and Irish Lions.

Regular appearances successful the 2023 Six Nations followed for Ben, who was enjoying a tally successful the England squad aft his member required hep surgery.

When past November came round, the accidental to play unneurotic arrived again, lone for Ben to regenerate Tom successful the closing stages of England's decision by New Zealand.

"Steve [Borthwick] came up to america earlier the crippled and said helium wants to play america together. So I was thinking, class," Ben added.

"I spot Tom 15 minutes successful with his caput down and helium is trudging. I was thinking: He has screwed this up."

Like successful 2017, the brothers were made to wait, with Ben not featuring successful the different 3 Autumn Nations Series games for England.

This Saturday, with Underhill injured and Ollie Chessum possibly lacking lucifer fittingness aft genu surgery, Ben gets different changeable to nail down England's fig 7 shirt.

"We person well-rounded accomplishment sets that complement each other. It is not throwing retired 2 radical who are the aforesaid player," Tom added.

"We cognize each different and what we are about. That helps, but the quality to enactment disconnected each different and bash antithetic roles similar astatine six and seven, we are technically doing antithetic things."

Given however agelong they some had to wait, thing volition beryllium taken for granted until the lucifer kicks disconnected successful Dublin and past is made.