AS KYLE SINCKLER sits in front of the media at the Scenic Hotel in Dunedin, he recalls a conversation with two of his former Harlequins team-mates that paved the way for him to become a Lion.
Had James Horwill and Adam Jones not pulled him aside and set him back on the straight and narrow, it is unlikely the English prop would currently be in New Zealand preparing for a second start of the tour against the Highlanders on Tuesday.
Sinckler had developed an unwanted reputation during the early years of his career as disciplinary issues briefly threatened to throw him off course and it took the intervention of two experienced internationals to sort it out.
The 24-year-old’s penchant for getting himself in trouble with the referee was such that he saw red in the underage game his future employers scouted him in.
The turning point came in February 2016 when, after a 42-10 defeat to Wasps during which Sinckler let his frustration get the better of him and could have been sent off ‘two or three times’, he was told it wasn’t all about him.
“I think it was when Joe [Marler] sat me down and said ‘you’ve got to stop it’, and probably the one thing I’ve never touched on is we played Wasps away last year and I came on at half-time for Adam Jones and I was fuming that we were playing so badly and I could’ve probably been sent off about two or three times in that game,” he explains.
“James Horwill and Adam Jones sat me down and took it upon themselves to tell me on that Monday after ‘look you’ve got to stop it because it’s all about you’.
“That’s how it comes across, it’s all about me, and it’s always me starting the fights and costing the team, and it’s bigger than yourself so I need to sit back and think if Adam Jones – 95 caps for Wales – and James Horwill – 60-70 caps, Australia captain, led them to a World Cup in New Zealand – those guys have gone out of their way to speak to me and they didn’t have to and they just said you’ve got a lot of talent but if you don’t sort your image out and sort yourself out.
“I’m just grateful those guys were happy to talk to me because that flicked a switch there and then and I was lucky enough to go on tour to Australia with England that summer, Eddie [Jones] took a chance on me as I’d only started two or three games for Harlequins that summer.
“Yeah, that conversation with James Horwill and Adam Jones flicked the switch and always having Joe tell me on the pitch, always having a go at me and telling me to shut up and stuff. It’s an ongoing process for me, I want to be physical, I want to play on the edge and in people’s faces but in the right way, and not to the detriment of the team.
“That conversation with James Horwill and Adam Jones put things in perspective for me.”
Sinckler explains that he works closely with a psychologist at Harlequins, as well as during his time away with England, and it’s all an ongoing maturing and learning process; to channel that aggression in the right way and use it to charge his performance.
The tighthead will be hoping for a big one tomorrow when he starts in the Lions front row at the Forsyth Barr Stadium for the fourth game of the tour against the Highlanders; and certainly he’s come along way since rocking up to his local rugby club in a Manchester United kit after a family friend recommended he try the sport out.
“So I started playing rugby when I was about eight or nine,” Sinckler continues.
“I used to play football and I used to keep getting in trouble and getting sent-off all the time. My mum was speaking to a friend on the phone one day and she said ‘you should bring Kyle down to the local rugby club’ and I rocked up the club in full Manchester United kit and just fell in love with the game there.
“I played centre until I was about 13 years old and got scouted by Harlequins because I was playing against the backs coach’s son, and I think I got sent-off in that game as well.
“He invited me to the Harlequins academy for a training session and we all met up, warmed up and split into forwards and backs, obviously I was running to the backs and the coach grabbed me by the back of my collar and said ‘nope you’re a tighthead prop now’ and just threw me in the deep end.”
Sinckler has emerged as one of the big characters in Warren Gatland’s travelling party and certainly confidence isn’t in short supply, but he is taking every opportunity to pick the brains of the older guys and take as many learnings from each day on tour.
“Having the likes of Rory Best has been a massive help for me, just trying to learn off him, and it helps that I’ve got to build a bit of a relationship off him because we played together in the first game, came off the bench together in the second game and now we’re playing tomorrow together and it’s just good to pick the knowledge from him.
“Big Alun Wyn Jones behind me, you know it’s just a bit surreal at times having those guys here but it’s good to have a familiar face here with Joe and also all of the England guys, but it’s all about building new relationships and that’s something we’ve really focused on in camp, getting a bit out of you comfort zone and being with people you’re not usually with. But I’m learning heaps here.”
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