Tom Curry: British & Irish Lions star discusses Sale Sharks’ prospects

British and Irish Lions hero Tom Curry says Sale Sharks need to add discipline and consistency to their game if they are to go all the way in Prem Rugby this season.

The flanker, 27, will miss the start of the season after having surgery on a wrist ligament problem.

But he believes Alex Sanderson’s squad can improve on last season’s third place and play-off semi-final defeat by Leicester Tigers if they can mix in those key ingredients to a physically powerful and skilled unit.

Sale begin their season against Gloucester at the Salford Community Stadium on Thursday, having added South Africans Jacques Vermeulen and Marius Louw, plus England under-20s hooker Nathan Jibulu, to their squad.

Curry, one of the stars of the Lions’ 2-1 Test series triumph against Australia in the summer, has outlined, in an interview with the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast, exactly what he feels the Sharks need to put right this time.

“Our discipline has to get better,” he said. “In some games we are really good, but a lot of times we are giving away too many penalties.

“That leads to my second point, of how much more consistent we can be. We’re a team that thrives on emotional energy, but with [adding] consistency and maturation we don’t have to solely rely on being ‘up’ for every game. We don't have to be riled up.

“We need to find that discipline but also find another way where it’s not just ramming walls and ramming walls, taking your emotional energy.”