Eddie Jones has backed Kyle Sinckler to be among the world’s best in his position if he continues to perform as he did in Saturday’s win over Italy.
The tighthead prop was named the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match in England’s 41-18 victory at Twickenham following an industrious display which saw him make 40 metres from 11 carries and help the hosts assert their authority at the set piece.
It was Sinckler’s first game back after a two-week suspension but Jones was keen to highlight an overall rise in maturity which has helped the 27-year-old’s game rise to new heights, with the Australian delving into the animal kingdom for a metaphor.
“He’s a jungle tiger and jungle tigers can always go,” Jones said. “But in the main, he behaves like a zoo tiger with the fight of a jungle tiger.
“He was a hot-headed individual with a lot of potential. Now we are seeing a maturing, professional, committed player who is producing consistently talented performances.
“If you look at the way he played for us over the autumn, and now in his first game back in the Guinness Six Nations, he is going to be close to being one of the best tighthead props in the world.
“That’s his target, that’s where we want him to get and I’m really pleased with his progress.”
The respect between player and coach is mutual, with Sinckler expressing his gratitude to Jones for developing his game since handing him his England debut in 2016.
“He picked me up when I couldn’t start for Harlequins and took me on a tour to Australia,” said the Bristol Bears forward.
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“He lit that fire inside me to make me want to be at my best every day. If Eddie’s happy, I’m happy.”
Sinckler also feels there is plenty more to come from both him and the team in what remains of the Championship and beyond, with a trip to Cardiff next up for the holders.
“I feel I have a lot more growth – I’m nowhere near the player I want to be,” he said.
“There’s a lot of hard work to be done and I’m just happy I’m in a group that has that mindset – we are never just satisfied with a win, we are always dissecting the performance and trying to improve.
“We are ticking along nicely but we have so much growth left in this group. We have been together a while now and built on those relationships.
“We have a great group of guys and the youngsters who have come in have done exceptionally well. It’s down to the players to keep putting that hard work in, which we are.”
Saturday’s star man was not the only England front-rower to impress, with Jones keen to highlight the combined impact of hookers Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George.
Cowan-Dickie played the opening 51 minutes at Twickenham before being replaced by the Saracens man and England’s coach was delighted with both players.
“We got a fantastic 80 (minutes) out of Luke and Jamie,” he said.
“Luke gave us a lot of power at the start of the game and Jamie gave us a lot of work rate at the end of the game. We were pleased with the combination of the two of them.”
