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Sinckler ignites Twitter debate with 'worrying times ahead' tweet

(Photo by Dan Mullan/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

England prop Kyle Sinckler has ignited a debate on social media after tweeting on Tuesday afternoon about his concerns that upwards of 100 Gallagher Premiership players have been left without a club for the 2022/23 season. The reduced salary cap has instigated a huge upheaval across the English top-flight, with some clubs issuing lengthy lists of players they are releasing at the end of the 2021/22 campaign with budgets beginning to bite.

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Bristol prop Sinckler has been sidelined since a mid-April Heineken Champions Cup appearance versus Sale and he has now opted out from the upcoming England tour to Australia in order to fully recover from a back problem ahead of a 2022/23 campaign that will lead into his country’s assault on the World Cup in France.

With time on his hands away from playing games, the 29-year-old tighthead has shown his awareness of the shift taking place in the English game due to the decision to cut the salary cap from £6.4million to £5m and to also cut the number of marquee players who can sit outside that cap from two to one at each club for the upcoming season.

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The pressure these cutbacks have put on contracts has now resulted in Sinckler taking to Twitter to outline his concern over what is unfolding: “Nearly 100 Premiership rugby players will now be without a club for the 22/23 season. Nothing to do with their rugby ability just finances. Worrying times ahead,” he wrote.

Within an hour, his message was retweeted 106 times, liked by 947 fans and replied to by 41 people including ex-Harlequins prop James Johnston, the 2012 Premiership winner who played this season in the French third tier for Nice. “It is worrying, my uce! Hope something gets sorted for those boys.”

Numerous other replies suggested the Championship needs to be quickly sorted out so that it can become a more professional tournament and take up the slack with the Premiership finances being squeezed like never before. Broadcaster Rupert Cox said: “Another good reason why Championship rugby needs looking after, Sinks.”

Another fan replied: “The RFU needs to do something about the Championship. The Pirates, Ealing and Doncaster are being ruined by an anti-expansion organisation and it is affecting the quality of RU in England. Look at France. Their second division is thriving and they have a great national side.”

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https://twitter.com/CJEvansLWOSport/status/1534186629308506113

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Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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