For Kyle Sinckler the 2019 World Cup final is a day he can barely remember and an experience he will never forget. As England prepare for their first meeting with South Africa since that match, Sinckler recalls the buildup to that day in Yokohama – and his struggles in processing the subsequent disappointment – with alarming honesty. And it should come as no surprise that Saturday is set to be an exercise in catharsis for the 28-year-old.
To recap, Sinckler had starred in England’s run to the final, having been named man of the match in the quarter-final win over Australia and performed exceptionally in the last-four victory over New Zealand. But after just three minutes against South Africa, Sinckler was replaced having been knocked unconscious in an accidental collision with teammate Maro Itoje. England were unable to recover from the shock of the early setback, were dominated in the scrum thereafter and slumped to a 32-12 defeat, having gone into the match as favourites.
Sinckler recalls the aftermath, sitting at home in a dark room, dealing with the disappointment and the lingering effects of the concussion he suffered. He compares the feeling of deflation to that which he experienced when initially overlooked for the British & Irish Lions squad to tour South Africa last summer and while he was subsequently picked and appeared in all three Tests, Saturday’s showdown at Twickenham with the Springboks has been ringed in Sinckler’s calendar for quite some time.
“It was tough, after that experience, I’m not going to lie to you, two or three weeks after I just sat in my house in a dark room, obviously concussed, trying to process it all,” he says. “I was only on the field for a minute or two. It’s a tough one. It took a while for me to process what happened. Since I could remember all I wanted to do was play for my country … and then you get to that moment and I can’t remember any of it. It was quite tough, but that is the universe’s plan for me and I have to just keep my head and use it as motivation now.”
Sinckler has been working with an organisation called Saviour World for some time now in an effort to deal with disappointments, to channel the anger he has spoken about coping with in the past. He believes part of the problem in coping with the fallout from the World Cup final was how he let the pre-match hype go to his head.
“I am very grateful, in terms of the mentor I have at Saviour World, it took a while for us to process that, understanding why it actually happened,” he adds. “It probably was the lead-up to the game and my preparation, probably losing myself a bit, in that week, it was hard to stay grounded when everyone is telling you how great you are, and how excited everyone was, just to go to that moment. Obviously, I can’t remember it. I just try to use it as motivation.”
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Given England’s problems at loosehead prop – with Joe Marler and Ellis Genge both in isolation having contracted Covid-19 – Sinckler’s importance to the side is all the more obvious against the Springboks. The last time they were at Twickenham England edged home in controversial circumstances when Owen Farrell escaped punishment for a robust tackle on André Esterhuizen and Sinckler is expecting another ferocious battle.
“I’m very motivated to play,” he says. “I want to give it all for my brothers. It’s a huge game and they’re the best. We’ve got to be there. I’d be lying if I didn’t look at that fixture and was like ‘I need to be ready for that game’. I really want to be selected and hitting my straps for that game because I know if selected I’ve got to be at my best otherwise they’re a world class side and they’ll make us pay, especially up front in the scrum.”
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