Tom Curry could be fit for England’s Autumn Series after wrist surgery

Tom Curry has undergone surgery on his right wrist but could be ready to return for England’s Autumn Nations Series.

The Sale flanker, 27, had an operation on a long-term ligament problem after he returned from the British and Irish Lions’ series victory in Australia.

Curry will be absent for the start of Sale’s Premiership campaign, which begins against Gloucester on September 25.

However, there is an outside chance he might be fit for England’s fixtures against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in November.

“His return to play sits him somewhere around the autumn internationals,” said Sale’s director of rugby Alex Sanderson.

“You are more likely to see him in an England shirt than you are a Sale shirt. But you never know. He has a habit of defying comeback dates and what surgeons say. He’s on good form, healing well, dead positive.”

Curry navigated his way through six matches for the Lions despite his wrist injury. He revealed he got a new cast fitted in Australia following the Lions’ shock defeat to Argentina in Dublin.

“I had the surgery four weeks ago, just repairing a ligament which was gone,” said Curry. “I had to go back and repair that.

“It was alright to manage. I had a local anaesthetic on the Saturday so you actually couldn’t feel it (during the match). It was more the Monday to Friday.

“We had this cast which we had to change in Sydney, because we realised that I wasn’t actually catching many balls. We had this thick one that covered my palm and it was really tough because I had to catch it with my fingertips. I remember playing in the Argentina game and I kept dropping it.”

At Saracens, former England captain Owen Farrell will be available for the start of their campaign.

The 33-year-old, a late call-up to the Lions Tour as an injury replacement for Elliot Daly, has rejoined his boyhood club a year after he left for French side Racing 92.

When asked if Farrell will be available for week one, Saracens’ director of rugby Mark McCall said: “Yes. It has been going great and felt like he (Farrell) has never been away. Lots of new faces for him to get to know, and a lot of younger players who have got into the senior squad during his 18 months away.”

On Daly, he continued: “He’s not back yet. He’ll be a while. He has a few fractures in his arm. He has a scan next week, just to see how it’s doing. We hope to have him back midway through that first PREM block.”