Rugby World

“HE CAN BE THE BEST TIGHTHEAD IN THE WORLD”

KYLE SINCKLER has worn the England No 3 shirt on all bar one occasion since March last year. From the final Six Nations game against Ireland, through the South Africa tour, the autumn Tests and another championship campaign, the only time he has not been in the starting line-up was when Japan visited Twickenham last November.

The Harlequins tighthead has fast become a mainstay in Eddie Jones’s first XV and should play a significant role in their World Cup bid in Japan, providing the hamstring injury that disrupted his preparation is of the minor rather than major variety.

Over the following pages we talk to four people who have been part of Sinckler’s journey from a junior player at Battersea Ironsides to a Test Lion in New Zealand to get an insight into the 26-year-old from those who know him best…

THE TEACHER

 Stacia Long helped a teenage Sinckler to set up a rugby team at Graveney School in South London

“Kyle was one of three or four boys in his year group who played rugby outside of school and were keen to set up a school team. I told them I didn’t know anything about rugby so wouldn’t be much use from a coaching perspective, but Kyle said, ‘That’s fine. Me and the boys will sort that if you can find fixtures and get us

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