England agree ‘new arrangement’ with ‘inspirational’ Kevin Sinfield from November
Kevin Sinfield has agreed a new working relationship with England.
England have confirmed that rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield will continue his involvement with the senior men’s national team but in a reduced capacity.
The 44-year-old first joined the England set-up ahead of the 2023 Six Nations initially as a defence coach and more recently tasked with improving individual skills and kicking, as well as fulfilling a squad mentoring role.
From November, Sinfield will continue his current responsibilities, however his contact time outside of Test windows and during match weeks will be reduced, providing him with greater flexibility to balance other personal and professional commitments.
Inspirational figure
“Kevin is a talented coach and an inspirational figure in our set-up,” said England head coach Steve Borthwick.
“The work he does on and off the field is invaluable to our players, so I am pleased he’ll remain part of the management team and continue to contribute towards the success of England Rugby.
Sinfield added: “Working with Steve and the team has been an immensely rewarding experience, and I am excited to continue my involvement with the team.
“This new arrangement allows me to keep doing the thing that I’m passionate about, coaching and mentoring players, while also balancing other commitments which are important to me.”
As of 2024, Sinfield has raised over £10m for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research and charities. His fundraising efforts began when his former rugby league teammate and friend Rob Burrow was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and have included running seven marathons in seven days as well as other endurance feats.
50km a day for a week
Burrow sadly passed away in June, but Sinfield’s fundraising continues. Later this year he will embark on his latest challenge as he attempts to run over 50km every day for a week, visiting towns and cities across Great Britain and Northern Ireland including Liverpool, Wrexham, Gloucester, Belfast, Stirling, Glasgow, Hull, Northampton, Leicester and Manchester.
England welcome New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, November 2 for their first match of the Autumn Nations Series, before taking on Australia, South Africa and Japan.
The Red Rose recently announced that Joe El-Abd will be joining their coaching staff on a part-time basis while the outgoing Felix Jones is currently serving his notice.
