Lions hopeful Curry faces heartbreak after bizarre injury ends tour dream

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Ospreys star Justin Tipuric will miss his anticipated home farewell at the Swansea.com Stadium this weekend after being ruled out of the URC derby clash with the Dragons due to injury. The 35-year-old, who is set to become the Ospreys’ defence coach for the 2025/26 season following his retirement at the end of this campaign, was expected to play his final home game on Saturday.

However, a pectoral injury sustained during the region’s recent Challenge Cup defeat to Lyon means Tipuric will not feature, potentially marking the end of his professional rugby career. Despite the Ospreys currently sitting 13th and facing slim play-off chances, winning their remaining three games could still secure qualification, leaving a window open for Tipuric to possibly return in June for knockout matches.

Fellow Wales international Adam Beard, who will also depart the region at season’s end, hopes to be available after missing the recent loss to Cardiff. Head coach Mark Jones expressed cautious optimism about Beard’s return this weekend, saying, “We’re hoping that we can get some rugby into him by the end of the year. We’ll see how he’s looking for this week, we’re not 100% sure as it stands, but we’re hoping to get him back as soon as we can.”

Jones also shared his thoughts on Tipuric’s recovery, emphasizing the player’s determination to remain active: “We want Tips to keep rehabbing like he is. He wants to remain a player for the end of the year which is awesome. We’re trying to go through that process of getting him back out on the field and if we can extend our season longer and longer, we give those boys a better chance of playing more games for us.”

When asked about Tipuric’s chances of returning if the Ospreys qualify for the play-offs, Jones said, “There’s definitely potential to see him on the rugby field for sure. Physios and conditioners are working hard with what that looks like and most importantly Tips, his mindset is he wants to play another few games for the Ospreys. That’s really important isn’t it? If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.”

In other news, British & Irish Lions hopeful Ben Curry will miss his final chance to impress for a spot on this summer’s Australia tour after suffering a rare injury. The Sale Sharks back row, who has been performing well for England, will sit out the Gallagher Premiership clash against Saracens due to “a bit of metal” irritating his leg muscle near an old surgical site.

Head coach Alex Sanderson described the injury as “a bit of a scratch and sniff injury” and explained, “There’s a bit of metal in his leg, which is irritating the muscle, but nothing’s torn. It’s around the site of an old operation where he had the stitches. There’s little chance of him tearing the muscle, but it’s uncomfortable for him.”

Sanderson added that Curry is still able to move around and hopes the issue will resolve within a week, but confirmed he will miss the upcoming game. Competition for the Lions back row remains fierce, with Curry’s brother Tom, Wales captain Jac Morgan, and Ireland’s Josh van der Flier all vying for selection.

Meanwhile, Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt has made three changes ahead of their crucial URC clash with Munster on Friday night, following a morale-boosting bonus point win over the Ospreys. The changes focus on the pack, with Danny Southworth starting in the front row and Josh McNally returning from RAF duty to bolster the engine room.

Thomas Young will make his final appearance at the Arms Park before moving to the Dragons next season. Sherratt said, “We are all really excited for Friday night. These are exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in. There’s no getting away from it, it’s one of the biggest games of the season. It’s a game with a lot riding on it, in a league that’s incredibly tight and against a brilliant team full of internationals, with massive history.”

He added, “We will need to be at our best and produce our most complete performance of the season to secure the result we need. If we can do that then we will travel to South Africa in a strong position. We are expecting another really good crowd and we know when we need our supporters, they come out in force and get behind us.

For a number of players, it will also be their last game at the Arms Park so there is a huge amount of motivation to make it a special occasion.” Cardiff’s starting lineup includes Cam Winnett, Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabe Hamer-Webb, Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder, Danny Southworth, Liam Belcher (captain), Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally, Teddy Williams, James Botham, Thomas Young, and Taulupe Faletau, with replacements ready to come on as needed.