HOT SPRINGS HELP KYLE CHILL OUT AND IGNORE WIND-UPS
EnGLAnD expect Kyle Sinckler will continue to be a target for opposition wind-up tactics — and they also expect him to cope with the antagonism, just as he did against Australia. the harlequins prop was subjected to provocation from members of the Wallabies pack in oita on Saturday, as England’s scrum suffered some early difficulties before Eddie Jones’ side surged to a 40-16 World cup quarter-final victory. Sinckler delivered a mature, try-scoring performance to earn endorsement from his coaches and provide encouragement that he will handle whatever the All Blacks throw at him. Asked about the attempts by the Australians to get under the skin of the previously-volatile tighthead, Jones said: ‘he dealt with that and he’ll get that again because when you’re a good player, you get that. he’s learning. for a tighthead prop, he’s still a young guy.’ Sinckler spoke about feeling that he had let his team and country down when he lost his head thanks to Welsh wind-ups during the Six nations. But Jones emphasised just how important that episode was in the young Lion’s development. ‘the best experience is learning on the field,’ he said. ‘You can’t teach boys that — they’ve got to learn that. it’s a real credit what he has done in his career. his mum is as proud as punch.’ Speaking yesterday prior to the team’s flight from oita back up to tokyo, scrum coach neal hatley also paid tribute to the way Sinckler has tamed his wilder side, saying: ‘the onsens (Japanese spa baths) are obviously helping him! he looks a lot more relaxed. he gets put under pressure at training — we put him in these difficult situations. ‘But from a maturity point of view, he’s come on leaps and bounds. he’s a different player to who he was even when we started camp. i thought he handled himself magnificently in the Australia game and got a great try to boot.’