New, mature Sinckler can be Lions ace says Adam
THE growing maturity Kyle Sinckler showed on the World Cup stage can give the England ace the platform to be the starting British & Irish Lions tighthead in South Africa in 2021 according to Adam Jones.
Wales and Lions front row legend and now Harlequins scrum coach Jones has taken Sinckler under his wing from a young age and helped mould him into a Test star.
Jones – who won 95 Wales caps and five for the Lions across two tours – said: “Kyle made everyone’s team of the tournament in Japan, so I don’t see a problem with him bouncing back from the disappointment of going off so early in the World Cup final.
“He is a lot stronger mentally than most people think. Some people see him as a loose cannon because of the way he has sometimes reacted on the field, but he has calmed down.
“He is very diligent, very professional, and a keen student of the game. He’s a rugby statto and historian. I sent him a list of World Cup winning tightheads and he knew the majority of them.
“He loves American Football and is always trying to find the thing that will give him an edge in his game. His drive for the next few years will be to go with the Lions again in 2021 and
I think he will do that. He has a great chance of starting, although Tadhg Furlong will have something to say about that.”
All-action Sinckler was a surprise selection for the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand given he had not started a Test for England prior to the trip.
But he still won three caps against the All Blacks and now has 31 England appearances.
Sinckler is a strong target for the ambitious
Bristol Bears for next season and it is likely he will head to Ashton Gate for a new chapter.
Jones added: “I was most proud of Kyle at the World Cup in the Australia game after he gave away a scrum penalty. They got into him, rubbed his head, and sledged him.
“It was very Australian and they were trying to wind him up.
“He just stood there, laughed it off, and went on to score a try. That was a real sign of maturity. Three years ago he would have been wind-milling and hand-bagging.”