England will soon come calling for Sale Sharks' "outstanding" flanker Ben Curry, says the club's director of rugby Steve Diamond.

Tom, Sale's number eight, has played in 23 Tests for Eddie Jones' side.

"Ben is a leader of men," Diamond said. "He's not had the England recognition but we're pretty sure that will come."

The Sharks boss continued: "He's a quiet man, but anyone who has watched him over the last three years knows he's one of the best back-row forwards in the country.

"A lot of people are talking about how many good back rows there are - and there are lots - but it's not just about being able to win the ball as a jackal. You've got to have a line-out presence, a link presence, that ability to manage yourself and manage your forwards, which is something Ben Curry does really well.

"He was outstanding."

Sale's win on Tuesday lifted them to third in the Premiership table with six games remaining, two points above Wasps.

"Exeter and Bristol have shown they're the top two sides and it's any two of four below them to get in there," Diamond added.

"Getting into the top four is a big challenge but if you get in there then home and away isn't as important as previous years as there are no crowds."