Ben Currie might have missed out on a place in Shaun Wane’s England World Cup squad – but the Warrington Wolves second rower has a fan in his former club coach Tony Smith.
The Australian gave the 28-year-old, who was part of England’s final team in 2017 having represented Ireland in the 2013 tournament, his club debut at 17.
Fast forward ten years, and Currie has made 229 Warrington appearances with 88 tries, playing in both the Challenge Cup final and Grand Final under Smith in 2016, when he made the Dream Team, and helping his club lift the Challenge Cup in 2019.
Now the Golborne Parkside product from Lowton (between Wigan and Leigh), who worked his way through the Wolves development system, has been awarded a testimonial, with a match against yet-to-be-named opponents to take place during the 2023 pre-season.
Currie will be supporting four charities – the Down’s Syndrome Association, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research UK.
Smith, who was at Warrington between 2009 and 2017, said: “I’ve got nothing but nice words to say about Ben.
“It was evident that he was going to be a great player from a young age, not only due to his physical capabilities but his attitude and approach to rugby and being a professional.
“He was always very dedicated to improving and was easy to coach because of his attitude.
“I loved coaching Bennie for a number of reasons – his personality first and foremost and after that his ability.
“There was never any hesitation to put him forward to play as a youngster.
“He embraced that and made a name for himself very quickly. It was easy to tell that he was going to be a class player and he has been.
“He showed great maturity throughout my time coaching him. He had some high moments and then a couple that challenged him (knee injuries) but was able to handle those, learn and overcome them.”
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