EXCLUSIVE: 'This has been my toughest season' - Sinckler ready to control aggression
Having seen Harlequins teammate Joe Marler recalled to the England squad after his second ban of the season, Kyle Sinckler is desperate to regain his own lost ground and play a part in the Six Nations championship.
He is currently behind Exeter’s Harry Williams in the England tighthead pecking order, but the Quins prop has a ball carrying ability that makes him a different kind of rugby beast, one with a temper he knows must be controlled.
England coach Eddie Jones made it clear that Sinckler had to improve his discipline having been arrested, but not charged, after a night out in Auckland after the final British and Irish Lions test in New Zealand. Jones said then: “He’s got to understand that the team comes before the individual. If we wants to develop his rugby career, that’ll be the big thing for him.”
Sinckler, 24, then made life tough for himself when he was banned for seven weeks in October for gouging while playing for Quins against Northampton which ruled him out of England’s Autumn tests.
Having made up for lost ground, he then injured his hamstring on the eve of England’s pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal with the initial diagnosis putting him out for six weeks and ruining his hopes of making the Championship. However, Sinckler has got back in just three weeks and continues his fight to get the match fitness needed for test rugby in the Quins front row against Leicester on Saturday.
Given the 19 stone prop came into season having appeared in all three tests for the Lions during the summer’s drawn series with New Zealand, Sinckler, who has won eight caps, was all set to cement his place in the England squad and his position as the biggest threat to Dan Cole’s place as the starting tight head. Then came his ban and exile from the international arena with critics again questioning if he had really found the right balance between his natural aggression and staying on the pitch.
“This has been my toughest season and I have learnt a lot about myself and how to deal with things,” admitted Sinckler as he reflected on a season of real frustration. “I do try and get the balance right and I will make some mistakes, but hopefully not the same ones twice.
“With the ban it meant I missed the Autumn tests and then I felt I was playing some good rugby only to pull up with a hamstring injury just before the England training camp. I was told the injury was six to eight weeks and I came back in just three and having hit all my markers now I have to perform well for Quins and let Eddie make his decision.
“He knows what I can bring to the table and the main thing for me it as now about being fit and ready if called upon. Rugby is a roller coaster and you just have to keep your head down and work hard.
“Eddie has spoken to me since the injury and he is really good at keeping in touch and has told me to keep playing and see what happens. I have to get that match fitness because if you have three weeks out you cannot expect to just go straight back into the international environment.
“Eddie is not afraid to mix it up and if I hold up my end of the bargain and play well, hopefully, he will then bring me in. I do miss being in that environment with Eddie.”
Sinckler and his teammates received a dressing down from John Kingston, the club’s director of rugby, after last weekend’s 44-22 loss at home to Wasps which left Quins in ninth place in the Premiership, five points away from the all important top six places and qualification for the European Champions Cup.
A trip to Welford Road offers Quins a chance to regain lost ground and Sinckler said: “We have had a tough week after losing in that manner with the fans leaving the stadium after 60 mins. It’s not a great feeling knowing we let so many people and ourselves down. But, we have this match to put it right and we are ready to go.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Hi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
79 Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
1 Go to commentsI’d be fascinated to see what other candidates you all might have for the Lions captaincy role. Let me know, below 👍
1 Go to comments“ planning for the next cycle….” Sigh ill-advised language Elton old juice bean. Ppersonally glad you self-eliminated yourself, there were better players in the position around you.
3 Go to commentsRegardless of best in world etc. Lawes was outstanding against Leinster and has been all season. Looked like three try saving turnovers. His turnovers also contributed to NH scores. Immense performance.
2 Go to commentsDickson now considered the top ref in England it appears. Good that these series are getting one NH and one SH ref.
2 Go to commentsI don’t think any coach or selector would ever rely on Blackadder being available for selection. I didn’t think it would be possible but he has easily eclipsed Ennor as they most injured player of all time. IMO a symptom of today’s game where players are required to carry at least 10kg of extra mass from when they first hit the scene in their early 20s. Some players respond well to this, maybe due to genetics allowing them to recover faster, or not having reached their peak natural weight yet, but for others the constant training to maintain their weight eats away at recovery time and they spend most of their careers injured.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the lesson Nick! I presume that targeting gaps is situational because if a ball carrier straightens the line they can't be allowed a gap to run into? It feels like you need depth if you're going to pass it wide and plenty of variety - straight running, kicks just in behind, cross kicks etc. BTW what an incredible bench Toulouse had this week. People complain about Leinster being stacked but they need to be at the very highest level.
19 Go to comments2015 was by far the best team. They have had many good backlines over the years but the 2015 team was one of the few to have an absolute world class forward pack - all of them international quality. 6 ABs, 1 future English player, and one that would have gone on to ABs had he not been forced to retire due to concussion. This current team doesn’t have the same size and experience at lock, but providing they can keep this many talented young players (who have all significantly increased their profile this year) together for another 2 years they could eclipse the 2015 team.
2 Go to commentsAnd I’ve just seen RA has topped up the offer to Paisami and extended it beyond 3 years and he’s signed. Great news
79 Go to commentsInteresting watching Amaua starting to fire. No idea why he was pulled so early against the Reds.
4 Go to commentsNice to read something positive about Vunivalu; it doesn’t happen often. I despair for rugby in Oz. Unless some form of compensation for the teams producing players is devised, there is no obvious way for us to combat poachers coming to grab players in their prime with bigger pay cheques. A return to the SR crowds we were getting in 2010-2014 and a quadrupling of the TV deal would be a start but I don’t see how those things happen. Perhaps the government could be encouraged to deliver tax breaks like in Ireland?
79 Go to commentsI wasn’t aware that the blitz targeted space so, as usual, something learned from reading one of your articles, Nick. Watching the game live I attributed the Saints’ inaccuracy to their own mistakes and nerves. Perhaps some credit to the Leinster D.
19 Go to commentsGotta give it to you Graham, you support your players and team to the hilt. There may be strains of exaggeration laced throughout but gotta love the passionate parochialism.
2 Go to commentsNice one Nick. No doubt Vunivalu’s involvements and work rate are improving this year in attack, but I still think he is too raw on the defensive and backfield part of his game to be considered as a starter. Wales would just kick and run it to his side all night as the brumbies have done to good effect in the past. But, his size/power will keep him in the convo with Mark N leaving and Petaia’s injury record. Hunter definitely enjoying an injury-free run this season and being given the keys by Kiss - I have always been a fan of his. All I’d say is that his triple threat has been evident since 2020/21. I remember him making a grubber for a petaia try after the siren to beat the Brumbies in Canberra after the 80th minute in 2021. Lastly, Jock Campbell, who I know isn’t at the top of your list, I thought had alot of positive involvements in the saders game including both of Tim ryan’s tries and Mcreights
79 Go to commentsAg please, Pieter Stef Du Toit has played circles around this clown.
2 Go to commentsJust celebrating the Bok’s 1648th consecutive day as RWC champions. They are also the Qatar Airways Cup winners, which I know BennieBoy cares about a lot.
2 Go to commentsGood to here positive stories towards Aus Rugby. Although that might be the case, and highers up are right about Jordie, I wouldn’t stress trying to retain him. What I have seen of him in recent times is that he’s not using that something special. I feel there a better ‘something special’ options coming through that they won’t have to compete with league for, hell even in Kerevi and Paisami (isn’t it great to finally see his ability getting recognized, probably taking this article in isolation too much here).
79 Go to commentsgreat article! I wonder whether we will we see Ireland adopt the Nienaber blitz? All the teams who have tried it so far (SA included) have gone through significant teething problems in the first season; Ireland could possibly be in the unique position of being able to switch to a hard blitz in season 2 of a world cup cycle and already have so many players used to the system that it can be implemented seamlessly.
19 Go to commentsThey probably left another 20 on the field to be fair. Also - the officiating was… ordinary.
1 Go to comments