England rugby star Tom Curry was knocked unconscious in a horror incident in Saturday’s match against Australia. In a concerning moment with the hosts leading 15-3, the referee did not appear to notice that the flanker had been knocked out until he was made aware by the Australian players.
Curry attempted to stop Rob Valetini bursting forward with the ball. However, the Australian’s knee caught the side of the 26-year-old’s head.
The England star dropped to the turf right in front of referee Ben O’Keeffe, who did not appear to notice. Play continued for nine more seconds.
“Curry’s out, Nick, he’s knocked out,” co-commentator Ben Kay said to main commentator Nick Mullins. “He’s unconscious on the floor, they need to stop the game!”
Valetini waved towards New Zealander O’Keeffe to get him to stop the match. The game was eventually paused with the official remarking to the players: “It’s looking serious here. Lay the ball down here just so I can see where you are.”
Mullins continued: “Valetini, the player who did it, is actually signalling to the referee to stop the game. Great sportsmanship. This might take some time because it looks like Tom Curry is spark out.”
Head coach Steve Borthwick appeared concerned as he pondered a change. The players formed a huddle at the side of the pitch to collect drinks and take instructions while Curry received treatment.
In relieving scenes, the England ace was soon conscious and was able to walk off the pitch unaided. However, he appeared slightly dazed and was replaced by Alex Dombrandt. Valetini showed excellent sportsmanship and made sure Curry was okay as soon as he was conscious.
The Australian received praise for stopping the game. “Ah look at that, the ultimate respect,” said Kay. “To draw the referee’s attention to the tackle and that Curry was knocked out. It’s good to see that.”
Mullins observed: “It’s been a good start by England. Those two tries, both scored by Harlequins’ Chandler Cunningham-South, the first of them after just five minutes. It came after a very smart passage of England play.”
However, despite a positive start, England suffered more heartbreak in the Autumn Nations Series. Having fallen to a late defeat against New Zealand last Saturday, Borthwick’s side unravelled again against Australia.
Maro Itoje went over in the 79th minute and Marcus Smith converted to put England into a 37-35 lead. It seemed they were heading for a big victory to provide a boost for Borthwick and his players after a tough week.
But, almost unbelievably, Australia went straight up the other end in added-time with Max Jorgensen scoring a remarkable late try. A 42-37 scoreline left England on their hunches at full-time.
