England captain Jamie George wants Kevin Sinfield to remain a part of Steve Borthwick’s coaching team beyond the current tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Sinfield is due to leave his role as skills and kicking coach this summer but it has emerged that he is rethinking his future as Borthwick explores the possibility of him staying with the Rugby Football Union.
The 43-year-old’s departure was announced in January after a year-long spell as defence coach that included the World Cup, but he is regarded by players as an important presence around the squad who should be retained.
“I couldn’t be keener for him to stay,” George told a press conference in Tokyo ahead of Saturday’s clash with Japan.
“The role he’s playing is absolutely invaluable and he’s an incredible man. You don’t need me to tell you that.
“In terms of the role he’s playing in this team, it’s been amazing to see and I think that’s a huge part of us being able to kick on.
“He is such an incredible coach. What a wealth of knowledge he has on both sides of the ball. I don’t think I’ve worked with someone like that. He probably reminds me of (Ireland and Lions head coach) Andy Farrell in that respect.
“That transition to being a skills coach, working with the kickers as well, has been seamless. He gives little snippets and insights for me as captain. His leadership credentials speak for themselves.
“He’s almost become the head coach of the non-23 guys who are running against us. I’ve never really seen a role like that before but he’s really taken that on and takes pride in working with those guys.
“It can be very difficult on a tour like this, when you’re not selected when you hope to be selected. They have a conversation with Steve, but Kev is the person who puts the arm around the shoulder.
“The amount of times I’ve seen him having a coffee with a lot of the non-23 guys — his caffeine intake is significant!”
Sinfield is touring with England as he continues to mourn the death of his friend and former Leeds team-mate Rob Burrow, who died of motor neurone disease earlier this month.
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Steve Borthwick has named his 23-man squad for Saturday’s Test match in Tokyo.
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England will face their former head coach Eddie Jones for the first time since he was sacked 18 months ago when they take on Japan at the National Stadium .
Jones has evoked memories of his recent ill-fated reign with Australia by naming the uncapped Yoshitaka Yazaki at full-back, even though he still plays for his university and not a professional team.
“I’m not surprised by that because Eddie has always been someone who makes bold statements,” George said.
“He’s in for a tough day. There isn’t a full-back in the world who’ll want to play against us in terms of the athletes that compete against us in the air.”