FISH FLINGERS
Kyle and Co will be fuelled with sushi
ENGLAND will be fuelled by a sushi mountain when they take on Japan at Twickenham on Saturday.
Eddie Jones’ side are using this weekend’s Test to try out preparations for the first World Cup to be staged in Asia next year.
As well as a compressed four-day training week to mirror the gap between their first two fixtures at the tournament, they have also been grazing on Japanese cuisine.
A Japanese chef was brought in to the team’s Pennyhill Park base on Tuesday night for a sushi evening. “It was a weird one,” said prop Kyle Sinckler. “I didn’t know if it was a test or not – you never know with Eddie.
“I had a bit but there was a point where we had to say no because Wednesday is normally our hardest session of the week and you don’t want to be running round with two kilos of sushi just sitting in you.”
The piles of sushi provided comfort eating for players still getting over the narrow defeat against the All Blacks.
Stung
It was a near-miss which, because it came against the world champions, stung more than most.
“If I’m being honest, I’m still trying to get over the loss at the weekend,” said Sinckler.
“You put so much emotional energy into it, it was such a big game, so to come that close and lose out was a tough pill to swallow.”
Still, the combative 17st 11lb prop does have some happy memories of the game.
“One of the things I love about rugby is that you can always let some frustration out in the tackle,” he said. “Jack Goodhue felt that at the weekend, which is nice, I heard his ribs crack a little bit.
“As a tighthead your bread and butter is your scrums, so you have got to take a good scrum against a pack like New Zealand. But it is nice to give them a taste of their own medicine.”
And Jones’ declaration he wants England to “smash” Japan was a message made to measure for Sinckler.
“That is music to my ears, I can’t wait,” he said. “I am buzzing to get out there and show our fans how much it means.” ELLIOT DEE has vowed to turn on the style against Tonga and become top dog with Wales.
The 24-year-old is set to start against the Pacific Islanders at the Principality Stadium with head coach Warren Gatland expected to make a host of changes for Saturday’s game.
Dee is back-up to first-choice hooker Ken Owens.
But after doing battle with his pet bulldog off the field ahead of the game, the Dragons forward is now ready for war on it.
Dee is determined to make an impression ahead of next year’s World Cup in Japan and said: “I’ve got a French bulldog, Wes. He’s nearly three now but he’s not speaking to me at the moment – I’ve recently put him in to have his bits done! We are going through a rough patch.
“I like to play with ball in hand and look for as much work as I can. Last autumn was my first taste of international rugby and I was dying to get on and get my first cap. “Now I want to try and lay down a marker and push for further involvements.
“There is a good balance in the squad with two other great hookers but I am a different player to them in that maybe I like to get the ball in my hands a bit more and be more of a playmaker.
“As soon as you hit one goal, you set more. When there is somebody in your position who has been given the chance to play, and has played well, you want to do the same.”
Dee’s fellow Dragons team-mate Leon Brown is also pushing for a start with Cardiff Blues’ Seb Davies expected to step in for Ross Moriarty at No.8.