Wales vs England: What to do with Kyle Sinckler? Pick him, pick him and pick him again - he’s a captain-in-waiting

What to do with Kyle Sinckler?

That was the question being asked by no-one who actually watched the game on Saturday but by many on social media and some others who should have known better on the look-out for a scapegoat for England’s second-half no-show in Cardiff.

On the surface, it didn’t look great for England’s wrecking-ball tighthead prop, who gave away two critical second-half penalties and another in the first for one of several no-arms chop tackles in the match, only two of which were penalised.

Three penalties conceded, a third of England’s total and the same amount Wales gave away in the entire game, was proof positive to many the man described as a “bit of an emotional time-bomb” by Warren Gatland in the build-up, had indeed gone tick, tick, boom.

As he trudged from the field in the 57th minute, hooked by Eddie Jones after conceding back-to-back penalties, the second of which for a needless and potentially dangerous lasso around the neck of his arch provocateur Alun Wyn Jones, Sinckler wore the look of a man who had let his country down.

The masses bayed “we told you so”.

What absolute rot.

In truth, Sinckler was an utter colossus in the gladiatorial surrounds of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

At times, his sheer physical contribution beggared belief. Even in a sport which demands a level of commitment from its participants few of us can remotely comprehend, Sinckler’s 5ft 10in frame stood head and shoulders above the rest, in metaphorical terms at least.

The press box in Cardiff is uniquely positioned on the lower tier of the stadium, with journalists normally afforded the privilege of a view from higher up in most international grounds. At times, it can be tricky to identify patterns of play from such a low vantage.

But what the position, only 20 or so rows back from the pitch, does afford is an eye-wateringly raw sense of the sheer pace, power and physical commitment demanded of players on an international rugby field. At times, it is scary.

While not one player shirked the physical challenge on Saturday, time and again it was Sinckler who hit harder, carried deeper or mauled more aggressively as England threw the kitchen sink at Wales in a first-half performance which would have broken lesser teams.

He earned his team an early scrum penalty when his opposite man Rob Evans buckled in under the strength of his bind (yes he earned his team three points) while a couple of hits, one on Wales veteran lock Jones, were astonishing in their ferocity.

Sinckler led the charge for much of the first half. At times, he you could have mistaken him for the captain. Sinckler demonstrates many leadership qualities while he has far fewer rough edges to iron out of his game than either Dylan Hartley had at a comparable stage of his career. Few expected him to become a successful England captain.

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Wales targeted the 25-year-old, for sure. Just as Ireland targeted him by setting their own snarling attack dog Peter O’Mahony on him and France also tried to get to him. To a degree it worked. By the time he was replaced by Harry Williams he had, in common rugby parlance, “emptied the tank” and his decision making was compromised by the effects of extreme exhaustion and constant sniping. These things happen to human beings.

But they should not cloud the fact Sinckler was magnificent for roughly 56 of the 57 minutes he played. In that time, he made no fewer than 20 tackles. That’s 20 tackles in 57 minutes, or roughly one every three minutes for those at the back of the class. Many of them thundering hits of such power and force they literally took the breath away.

After the game Gatland blamed the journalist for asking him the question about Sinckler in the build-up which prompted his “time-bomb” response. It was nonsense of course. The hugely experienced Wales coach does nothing in the media by accident. He has far too much nous to be tripped up these days. He will have bided his time for the chance to unsettle a player the New Zealander rated highly enough to play in three Tests for the British and Irish Lions in 2017, long before Sinckler had convinced Eddie Jones he was ready to be a regular in his first XV.

It was entirely legitimate tactics by Gatland. An international rugby match is played on many fronts.

Gatland set his own world-class enforcer in Jones, all 6ft 5in, 18st 7lbs and 131 international caps of him, on the player, in Mako Vunipola’s absence, because Wales believed Sinckler posed one of the greatest threats to his team. Far from an insult, it was the greatest compliment he could have paid. In time, the Harlequin will come to realise this.

Just as Saturday’s defeat was not a disaster for England, nor was it a disaster for Sinckler. Under extreme pressure he eventually folded, just as the rest of his team-mates did. Over time, he’ll learn. He’ll come back even stronger. So will his team.

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England did not lose on Saturday because of Kyle Sinckler. Indeed, they almost won because of him. England lost because their half-backs were got at and their vaunted kicking game was unpicked. As their game-plan unravelled, Sinckler was one of several England players to make mistakes. Indeed, Owen Farrell had his worst game for England for more than two years.

What to do with Kyle Sinckler? Pick him, pick him and pick him again. Saturday was the 20th England cap of his career. He’ll finish it with more than 100. One day, I’ll wager, he’ll be England captain.