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Whenever Eddie Jones is asked about England’s strength in depth he has only to count to three before expressing his concerns. Tighthead prop has always been the position he feels is most problematic and when England board the plane to South Africa at the start of next month, nowhere will the inexperience of the squad be more keenly felt. Indeed, with Dan Cole given the summer off, there are only three combined starts between those who make the trip.
The incumbent is Kyle Sinckler and, despite a turbulent season with Harlequins, he would seem to have his nose in front to start against the Springboks. Harry Williams is in fine form for Exeter but last week Sinckler was in Brighton with England and will on Monday be part of the squad preparing to face the Barbarians on Sunday.
Sinckler has only one start but it came against Ireland at the end of the Six Nations, having battled back into Jones’s thinking following a season that started with the bitter end to his Lions tour still lingering. Sinckler was arrested on a night out after the series finale in New Zealand, having moved in front of Cole to be the replacement tighthead in all three Tests. He reported back for Harlequins pre-season training early but, according to his former director of rugby, John Kingston, struggled with the idea that he would not always be first choice for his club and his omission from the England squad in September only added to his frustrations.
Then came the seven-week ban for making contact with the eyes of Northampton’s Michael Paterson and to cap it all he suffered a hamstring injury just before England convened for the Six Nations. “The ban was my fault but I felt like I was playing well and the most innocuous thing, I got a hamstring injury,” says Sinckler. “I just thought: ‘Oh my God, my luck is …’ I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’m lucky to have someone like Adam Jones here [as a coach at Harlequins]. I remember sitting down with him when I had torn my hamstring and saying: ‘Can someone just give me a break.’”
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Sinckler has had only one yellow card in the Premiership this season but his reputation precedes him. He believes he is getting better at walking the line with age but readily admits it is a work in progress. “I don’t want to lose the fire in my belly,” he adds. “I could say, ‘Yeah, I think I’ve got the balance right,’ and then on the weekend you see Kyle Sinckler’s just got sin-binned. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight but I am 25 now so I’m not getting younger – I can’t use the excuse where I’m just learning because I’m young. I’m working on it but that edge gives me what I need; that extra juice I need to play at the top level. It’s a work in progress but I’ll get there. But don’t expect me to be perfect from here on in.”
After one self-inflicted absence and another injury-enforced, the prop will be among the fresher members of the touring party as England seek to end a run of three straight defeats. For Sinckler the third of those was particularly bittersweet, having waited 14 months since his international debut – incidentally against the Springboks – for a first start.
“As an Englishman you’re used to winning and it’s disheartening to lose. But if we go down there and win 3-0, everything changes again,” he says. “They’re physical, massive forwards and they’ve got a new coach. They’re going to be bouncing; they’re going to be re-energised, at home and I’ve a feeling they are going to have a late surge for the World Cup. It will be a tough tour.”
While Sinckler’s ball-carrying impact is not in doubt, questions remain over his scrummaging. South Africa will be the acid test for him but he does not hide the fact that he prefers to make his mark elsewhere. “If you’re a prop and you’re picked to play international rugby, then you can scrummage,” adds Sinckler. “I don’t think Eddie would put anyone into the side that can’t. Everything comes naturally in terms of carrying, playing, my involvements but my set piece is my bread and butter and I feel like it’s improved.
“The thing about Eddie is he pushes you to focus on your strengths as well. In the past coaches tell you what you’re not good at, you need to work on this, you need to work on that, but he’s a bit of a change. Sometimes we’re too focused on what we’re not good at and drawn away from what we are good at.”