Kyle Sinckler: Talking-to led way to my Lions' chance

Kyle Sinckler in Dunedin ahead of the Lions' fourth match of their New Zealand tour against Highlanders.

Sinckler has revealed for the first time how Wales prop Jones and Australia lock Horwill sat him down for a serious talking-to last season, demanding that the hot-headed Harlequin cool his temper.

And, as Sinckler gears up to face the Highlanders on today in the Lions’ fourth of 10 games in New Zealand, the 24-year-old admitted his Quins team-mates helped him keep a lid on his frustrations.

Sinckler admitted to a string of red cards as a teenager, converting from centre to prop and coping with jumping from Battersea Ironsides to Harlequins’ academy, but insisted those frenzied days are long gone.

“First, Joe Marler sat me down and just said, ‘You’ve got to stop it’,” said Sinckler, assessing how he has fought to keep his anger in check.

“And probably one thing I’ve never actually touched on was when we played Wasps away last year.

“I came on at half-time for Adam Jones, and I was fuming, because we were playing so badly. I could have got probably sent off two or three times in that game.

“James Horwill and Adam Jones sat me down on the Monday and told me, ‘You’ve got to stop it, because it’s all about you. That’s how it comes across’.

“I was the one starting the fights that were costing the team, and they said, ‘Look, it’s bigger than yourself’.

“And I had to sit back and think, Adam Jones, 95 caps for Wales, James Horwill, Australia captain, those guys have come 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 you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t sort out your image’.

“I’m just grateful those guys went out of their way to talk to me because that flicked a switch, and I changed there and then.

“I was lucky enough to go on tour to Australia with England last summer. Eddie Jones took a chance with me, because I had only started two or three games for Quins that year.

“That conversation flicked the switch. And it helps, too, having Joe [Marler] always telling me off on the pitch,  telling me to shut up and things.

“It’s an ongoing process with me. I want to play on the edge, I want to be physical. I want to be in people’s faces, but in the right way, and not to the detriment of the team.

“That conversation put things in perspective for me.

“I played centre until I was 13. I 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.

“In my first training session, I ran off towards the backs but the coach caught me and said, ‘No, you’re a tighthead prop now’, and threw me in the deep end.

“It’s one of the hardest positions to learn. It takes a long, long time to perfect your craft.

“You’re always learning. You can’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day. But I love it.

“I’m still growing, still becoming a man and still learning from my mistakes.

“You’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror and say there’s no point in doing those things, because it’s to the detriment of the team.”

Sinckler has timed this increasing image consciousness to perfection given the early fuss over scrummage officiating in New Zealand.

The Crusaders were frustrated with scrum interpretation as the Lions won 12-3 on Saturday, and the focus on the set-piece will only ramp up from here on in.

“As a tighthead prop set-piece is your No 1 job and  everything else comes as a bonus,” said Sinckler.

“It’s not about going out there trying to make a statement. If the occasion comes, then, as an eight, we’ll stay within our process and just keep doing what we’re doing.”