Kevin Sinfield extends England coaching role despite step-down plans

Kevin Sinfield, England’s rugby skills and kicking coach, has announced that he will remain with the team this autumn, despite his original plan to step down following the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.

The 44-year-old will be on the sidelines for England’s first autumn Test against the formidable All Blacks. However, due to a prior speaking engagement, he will miss the subsequent matches against Australia and Japan.

Sinfield’s continued involvement came after discussions with head coach Steve Borthwick, with both agreeing on a modified role to fit Sinfield’s additional commitments, particularly his dedication to fundraising efforts.

He has pledged to "over-deliver" in his role, fully aware of the demanding schedule England faces in the autumn series. Despite scaling back his duties after this month's fixtures, he remains committed to making a strong impact on the team’s development.

“Clearly I didn’t think I’d be here. The very first conversation about me staying on started after the Six Nations,” Sinfield said.

“It took some time to work through a solution because it’s complicated when you’re trying to do some charity bits that mean a lot to you. You can’t always plan the time of year that should be or how it looks.

“I’ve really enjoyed the role with England and I love working with the guys. The group, representing your country and being around high performance – these things mean a lot to me.

“My role will change but that probably won’t really come into force until the Six Nations and I’ve always been a guy who’s tried to over deliver. I intend on doing that again.

“There are some things outside of rugby that I’m really passionate about such as the charity stuff. And the the speaking stuff has been important to me as well. I’ve been trying to manage that.

“I will be in and out of camp this autumn and that will mean I will miss two of the games. But then I’ll be available for every game.”