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'Where I'm from there's a big onus on me to set a good example and show what being a man is'

By Online Editors
Kyle Sinckler. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Kyle Sinckler insists that by confronting his troubled childhood he has been able to channel the fiery temperament he claims cost England a Grand Slam earlier this year.

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World Cup quarter-final victims Australia sought to exploit what they viewed as a chink in Sinckler’s armour through a series of wind-ups, the most conspicuous of which was hooker Silatolu Latu patting him on the head after a scrum had broken up.

The plan backfired as Sinckler was among the stars of a stunning 40-16 victory at Oita Stadium on Saturday. A beautifully taken try that displayed his athleticism and a key steal in the tackle contributed to his finest hour in a Red Rose jersey.

It was a different story in Cardiff eight months ago, however, when his fuse threatened to blow amid provocation from Wales as he conceded two costly penalties to compel Eddie Jones to replace in him the 57th minute.

Up until that 21-13 defeat a player described as a “bit of an emotional time-bomb” by Warren Gatland was magnificent and it has since emerged as a pivotal moment in the 26-year-old’s career.

(Continue reading below…)

“The Wales game taught me a lot. I let the team down, I let my country down. If we had won that game we would have been Grand Slam champions,” Sinckler said. “I had to look within and work on that side of my game, so I’ve been working with a guy called Ollie Pryce-Tidd, he works for Saviour World.

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“I feel like, for me, I’ve always been quite a frustrated guy. Rugby is my canvas. I’ve always expressed myself through it, like my outlet. So I’ve had to deal with a lot of things I was probably frustrated about in my life, things that happened in my childhood.

“My frustrations were nothing rugby-related. I was born in a single-parent home and I was always looking for that male father figure. Subconsciously, I put people in that position, put my trust in certain people who betrayed me, really. It was just about me taking control of my life and teaching me how to be an actual man.

“A man is in control of his emotions, a man looks after his family, he does the right things. He doesn’t let anything that frustrates him show, he just gets on with it. That is something I’ve really tried to work on because I know my behaviour in the past has cost the team and I didn’t want to feel like that again.”

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When asked about Latu’s attempt to get under his skin, Sinckler’s reply was grounded in the context of his upbringing on a tough south London estate by his mum Donna, who was present at Oita Stadium. “I feel so focused on doing my job that I didn’t even really notice it, whereas six months ago that would really have riled me up,” the Lions tighthead said.

“I feel like I’ve got a real big responsibility for the team, and not only the team, the people watching back home, especially people where I come from. It’s something you need to show – that anything can happen, it’s all about belief. A lot of people, when I was growing up, said I couldn’t do a lot of things, that I wouldn’t amount to anything.

 

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“I was lucky to have a good family around me, a good group of friends who supported me and never really allowed me to get in trouble and steered me in the right direction. They were good role models. Look at the stuff that’s happening around London with the knife crime. It’s just because kids are bored, sitting around.

“When I was a kid I had training, I was playing football, rugby, cricket, I was doing kickboxing, karate, I didn’t have time to think about doing something bad. At the moment kids are sitting around and they want that adrenaline rush. They need to fall in love with some kind of sport, some kind of activity. Where I’m from there’s a big onus on me to set a good example and show what being a man is.”

– Press Association 

WATCH: Eddie Jones’ media conference following England’s victory over Australia

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Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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