Kevin Sinfield set to leave England Rugby Union

With 20 minutes to go between England vs South Africa in the Rugby Union World Cup, Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield was being lorded as a hero as he looked set to guide England to the World Cup Final, an unlikely eventuality at the start of the tournament.

Sinfield, appointed as Defence Coach under his former coach at Leicester Tigers Steve Borthwick, looked like he had masterminded the perfect defensive display against South Africa until the game fell apart for England.

Now, according the Telegraph, Sinfield is set to leave his role as Defence Coach.

The Telegraph stated: “The coaching set-up will also be bolstered by the recruitment of Felix Jones, the Irishman who is currently the defence coach with the Springboks for the last five years.

“Felix Jones is a coach obsessed with detail in a similar fashion to Borthwick – it was his defensive strategy that plotted the downfall of Farrell in the 2019 final.

“And his arrival in January will almost certainly see Kevin Sinfield, England’s current defence coach who joined the set-up from Leicester with Borthwick but has lacked the experience to make a significant impact on the Test stage, move on as part of a mutual agreement.”

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This comes not long since Sinfield was making the following statement about his excitement about joining England Rugby Union.

He said at the time: “It is a special moment to join England as a coach. I know what representing your country means and to get the chance to do it as a coach is a real honour.

“There is so much player talent in England and I am really looking forward to working with the wider squad of players to see what we can achieve together, especially with such a massive year ahead of us.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Leicester Tigers, the players, staff and supporters, for welcoming me to the club. I’ve loved my time there and wish them all the best for the rest of the season.

“I’m looking forward to getting started and there’s no better opening campaign than the Guinness Six Nations.”

What this means for Sinfield going forward remains to be seen.