England international flanker Tom Curry has signed a two-year contract extension with Sale Sharks.
The 28-year-old has spent his entire career with the Sharks and made his debut aged 18 in October 2016 and his new deal will keep him with the Prem side until the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
Director of rugby Alex Sanderson said Curry, whose identical twin brother Ben also plays for the club, is “fundamental” to the team.
“The terms are a couple of years and that’s on Tom’s desire to ensure that he’s physically in the best spot to be able to honour his contract, to play a load of games for the next two years,” Sanderson said.
“Then we both said we’ll see where his body’s at, at that point, with the want and desire for him to finish his career at Sale.
“He was the one, after some really honest conversations, that said we need to keep this group together, the core group together.
“He’s fundamental to us, in terms of being the keystone, really, to that whole group.”
Curry added: “Sale Sharks means everything to me and this is the club I have supported my whole life.
“I’m very proud of the hard work we’ve put in over the last 10 years to get the club to where it is now, but I know how much more we have to give and that’s the reason I want to stay. There’s no place I would rather be.”
Curry, who has been capped 71 times by his country, missed the majority of the 2023-24 season after being diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome – a condition that means the ball in the hip joint is not entirely round.
He underwent hip surgery in February 2024 and was warned his career could be over but returned to playing top level rugby just four months later.
In December of that year he had a stem-cell procedure with a view to him being able to play until the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“He’s surpassing expectations, his own medical expectations and what’s gone before him in terms of the [hip] injury that he had,” Sanderson added.
“We’re not seeing any signs of wear and tear at this point and it might come in to factor later down the line but at this point he’s as fresh and as mobile as he’s ever been.”