Multiple PREM clubs set for disappointment after Kyle Sinckler decision

Former England and Lions tight-head Kyle Sinckler is set to close the door on a potential return to the Gallagher PREM after agreeing to extend his contract with Toulon for another two years.

Sinckler, 33, entered the final year of his contract in July and has regularly been linked with a return home to Harlequins, where he made over 130 appearances, as well as Newcastle Red Bulls and Exeter Chiefs.

The Red Bulls have financial power despite having Elliot Millar Mills and James Harper on long-term contracts, while the Chiefs have Josh Iosefa-Scott in the last 12 months of his deal and Sinckler was linked as a potential replacement.

He is in his third season with Les Rouges et Noir and helped them to reach the semi-finals of the Champions Cup and Top 14 in his first two campaigns at the Stade Mayol.

Sinckler has played 68 times for England, including in two World Cups, but will remain ineligible for Steve Borthwick to select after deciding to remain on the Côte d’Azur until 2029.

He has started both of Toulon’s opening two games this season, in defeats against Bayonne and La Rochelle, and Toulon are keen on him, Régis Montagne, and Owen Sorhaindo as their tight-head options for at least the next couple of seasons.

Sinckler, shortly after arriving in Toulon, told L’Equipe that he had rediscovered his love for the game, particularly the way they scrum in the Top 14.

“In France, there is more pressure in the connections. I have to adapt to it. The spirit of the scrum is very different here. From the commands “flexion”, “liez”, and “jouer”.

“If I switch early, too hard, I risk arriving at the end of the race at impact, devoid of power. I am still in the adjustment phase. In Toulon, the scrum is a story of life and death. It’s exhilarating.

“In England, we are more analytical. Here, the scrum, we put emotions into it. It’s a whole city and a region that vibrates. In Toulon you feel like a gladiator. I love it!” he said.