Joe Schmidt's Australia and England met for a bruising clash in Twickenham on Saturday afternoon.
While Australia's sleek running rugby and five tries would eventually see them defy the odds with a 42-37 win, the thrilling encounter cost England more than a defeat, with star player Tom Curry being ruled out for next week's clash versus South Africa after a nasty but accidental knee to the head.
While Curry would eventually walk off the pitch to applause from both sets of fans, the English flanker appeared to be unconscious on the pitch for quite some time before play was stopped and medical staff were allowed on to treat him.
Fans confused by Tom Curry head-injury incident
The incident happened when Tom Curry had tried to tackle the surging Rob Valetini but got his head caught on the wrong side of the Australian's knee, which directly hit his temple. To make matters worse, Curry was struck in the back of the head by another knee as he was hitting the ground.
However, confusion struck when referee Ben O'Keefe allowed play to continue despite Curry being on the ground, evidently injured right where play was occurring.
Eventually, an uplifting show of sportsmanship from Rob Valetini, the man who collided with Curry, saw play called to a halt and Curry treated and removed from the field of play.
Why the ref didn’t stop the game after he looks at Tom Curry out for the count is beyond me.
Player safety???#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/AqrLs1gzKO— Steven Dickens (@StevenDickens3) November 9, 2024
However, the length of time it took for Curry to receive attention seems to be quite the contrast to World Rugby's attempts to protect player welfare and left many England fans outraged.
When watching I thought the ref looked down at Curry, it was obvious he was out cold, really poor that from the ref, player safety eh🤷♂️
Great from Valetini to shout the ref and also shake Curry’s hand as he was walking off— Grant Clatworthy (@grantclat) November 9, 2024
I understand the first look down, maybe thought he was just staying down trying to stay out of the way but then the second look down when the ball is far away is insane. Just horrible
— Stinky Man (@LilMoserGaming) November 9, 2024
Earlier in the same game, a reading from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso's gum shield saw him removed from play for a precautionary HIA after the English winger had challenged for a one-on-one high catch. While Feyi-Waboso returned without issue, it was a brilliant example of the strides forward in player welfare.
However said changes still have a long way to go, with both Curry's clash and Tom O'Toole's head-injury in the Ireland v New Zealand clash requiring the good faith of players to call a halt to play.
Speaking after today's game, England manager Steve Borthwick revealed that the injury sustained by Curry today will keep him out of next week's clash between England and South Africa.
I will be waiting for the full medical report to understand where everyone is at but I think everyone saw the way Tom was down, he will be unavailable next week.
Curry's loss will come as a hammer blow to Borthwick, who has already lost both of his opening November series tests and faces an even taller task trying to salvage the series against back-to-back World Cup winners South Africa.
SEE ALSO: England Fans Call For Felix Jones To Replace Borthwick After Defensive Disaster v Australia
