Will Stuart’s damage is devastating for Steve Borthwick – now he ought to flip again to this forgotten French exile to rescue England’s entrance row, writes NIK SIMON

Depth is building nicely in England’s prop stocks but the news that Will Stuart will miss the remainder of the season left me with one question.

Stuart hit the best form of his career last season, earning selection for the summer Lions tour and becoming a part of the much-celebrated ‘Pom Squad’ during the autumn.

He was regularly deployed from the bench at Twickenham alongside the likes of Henry Pollock and Tom Curry as England found a way of dominating the fourth quarter.

Joe Heyes did a fine job anchoring the set-piece during recent Tests against Australia, Fiji and New Zealand and there is no doubt that he will be ready to start in the Six Nations.

But there is no hiding from the fact that Stuart’s achilles injury – picked up in Bath’s win over Munster on the weekend – is a hammer blow to England’s scrummaging resources. It left me asking: what about Kyle Sinckler?

When I interviewed Eddie Jones at the beginning of the autumn series, the former England coach named Sinckler at No3 in an ultimate XV of the players he has worked with. That was an almighty compliment from a man who was part of a Springbok coaching team.

Will Stuart’s achilles injury, picked up while he was playing for Bath against Munster last weekend, is a hammer blow to England’s scrummaging resources

Stuart’s injury could open the door to Kyle Sinckler (left), who has 68 England caps but is currently unavailable for selection as he is playing in France

Eddie Jones recently named Sinckler (pictured here with Jamie George and Joe Marler) at No3 in an ultimate XV of the players he has worked with – an almighty compliment

Asher Opoku-Fordjour is also injured but he is expected to be fit for the Six Nations campaign. 

Trevor Davison is another set-piece specialist who is doing well with Northampton and is likely to extend his stay there despite interest from Newcastle Red Bulls.

Billy Sella and Afo Fasogbon are other young contenders but they face a battle with time if they are going to be ready for the set-piece grind of a World Cup in 2027.

Which brings us back to Sinckler. The 32-year-old has become a forgotten man in English rugby. He has settled into life in France with Toulon, whom he joined from Bristol in 2024.

Sources close to him say he would love to represent England again but his deal in the Top 14 runs until 2027. 

Contracts are loaded with clauses and release options so it is worth exploring to see if there is a way of bringing him back.

Sinckler has settled into life in France with Toulon but sources close to him say he would love to represent England again

The 32-year-old would be an appealing option for England coach Steve Borthwick, whose promising young props are talented but inexperienced

Bath are actively seeking a replacement for South Africa-bound Thomas du Toit so that could be a good place to start.

Sinckler is a veteran of two World Cups and two Lions tours and has no doubt added to his craft in the Top 14, where the fans relish a long scrummaging battle that takes the front-row forwards into dark places.

Stade Francais centre Joe Marchant has agreed a move back to Sale Sharks to give himself a chance of making the World Cup and someone at the RFU should be getting on the phone to Sinckler to see if he feels the same way.