British and Irish Lions 2017: Superfan Kyle Sinckler ready to channel emotion and follow in footsteps of the greats

Despite not starting a Test for England, Kyle Sinckler will make his British and Irish Lions debut on Saturday eight years after breaking down in tears at the 2009 third Test defeat

Kyle Sinckler will achieve a lifelong dream when he pulls on the British and Irish Lions shirt on Saturday (Getty)

“I think I’ve watched that about 100 times, I remember watching that as a kid all the time, him sitting down talking to Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Tom Smith, Paul Wallace.” Kyle Sinckler is quickly revealing himself to be quite the British and Irish Lions superfan. The powerhouse prop is recalling Jim Telfer’s famous motivational speech to the 1997 pack ahead of the first Test with South Africa.

“I know the Paul O’Connell one from 2013,” Sinckler adds. “I know the Jim Telfer one, I know the Warren Gatland one from 2009 third Test. I like the Phil Vickery one with Andrew Sheridan before the first Test.”

Sinckler is 24 years old, he has not yet started a match for England and, on Saturday, he will make his British and Irish Lions debut against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians after being named in the starting line-up, though the Lions had to deal with the loss of Jared Payne to a calf strain after Thursday’s training session, with Elliot Daly added to the replacements’ bench in his place.

His relative inexperience on the international stage is not showing through, at least not when he spoke to the media at QBE Stadium ahead of the first full training session since the Lions touched down in Auckland, as he has the press gripped in a light-hearted yet intriguing back-and-forth that reveals the Harlequins prop to be quite the Lions rugby expert.

“What was he saying: ‘You listening to me’ and the he headbutts him and then Graham Rowntree is looking at them and thinking ‘what’s going on here,” Sinckler recalls of Vickery and Sheridan’s unusual motivation methods minute before the third Test of the 2009 tour. “I’m a bit of a rugby naus. I know quite a few of them.

“The third Test, that was quite funny. It’s good to see the guys’ emotion. I get a bit emotional myself as well as good to see the emotion but channelled in the right way.”

That is something that Warren Gatland has already noted. It’s all good and well Sinckler wearing his heart on his sleeve, but push his emotions too far and the young prop will start to give away silly and needless penalties and, if he’s not careful, out of Gatland’s plans for the Test side. The advantage Sinckler has is that the tighthead prop role is wide open. Ireland’s Tadhg Furlong is the favourite for the spot, while Dan Cole offers experience and dependency. Sinckler, though, is something of an unknown quantity, and if he can get his emotions just right, he could prove to be the bolter of the 2017 tour.

“I’m just excited to go out there, play rugby and hit people for a living,” he adds, a grin wide as the Auckland Harbour on his face. “I don’t need to get excited to play rugby. I can’t wait to get out there to train this afternoon. I don’t need a massive rev up. I’m ready to go.

“Warren is quite good. He lets the players be themselves. I’ve tried to be myself, to get to know the boys and the banter is definitely flowing. It’s good that there’s a game on Saturday and we can put all our hard work out there to play rugby. It’s good to see where you are as a team, get a good result, get the win and get the momentum to build for the guys who get to put on the jersey next week.

I am just taking it all in and try and learn because these guys have 100-odd caps for a reason and that's where I want to be

&#13; <p>Kyle Sinckler</p>&#13;

“There is a fine edge. If you get too emotional, too revved up, too psyched up, you lose your focus and get into little scuffles, you start over-thinking things.

“I’m in bit of rugby heaven at the moment. I’ve got Rory Best next to me who has 104 caps, I’ve got Alun Wyn Jones who, I think, has 102 (actually 110), Joe Marler, regarded as one of the best looseheads in the world, Sam Warburton, [Taulupe] Faletau. I’m just trying to learn off these guys and see what works and what doesn’t. I am just taking it all in and try and learn because these guys have 100-odd, 70-odd caps for a reason and that’s where I want to be, so there’s no greater place for me to be at the moment than learning off these world-class players.”

Kyle Sinckler starts the first match of the British and Irish Lions tour (Getty)

Sinckler is clearly a wise-old head on young – and incredibly broad – shoulders. He now has the chance to achieve a life-long ambition of playing for the Lions, and he should be watched closely when he runs out at Toll Stadium in Whangerei on Saturday in what is his first audition for the No 3 shirt come the 24 June. If he channels his raw emotion the right way, do not be surprised to see Sinckler line up against the All Blacks.