Kevin Sinfield has been granted compassionate leave from England’s tour of New Zealand to fly home and attend his friend Rob Burrow’s funeral next weekend.
Sinfield will miss the first Test against the All Blacks but is planning to return in time for the second Test in Auckland the following weekend.
The inspirational Burrow died on 2 June at the age of 41 having battled motor neurone disease for almost five years. His close friend Sinfield has helped to raise millions of pounds for charity in support of his former teammate and is due to return to the UK next Friday to attend Burrow’s private funeral service in Pontefract on Sunday week.
Sinfield, 43, is England’s skills and kicking coach but also has a wider pastoral role with the less experienced members of the squad. The England head coach, Steve Borthwick, however, is fully understanding of Sinfield’s desire to take a temporary break from the tour to pay his respects to his longtime Leeds Rhinos colleague.
Sinfield is scheduled to be back in the UK for only a little over 48 hours but, as his extraordinary ultra-marathon exploits have proven, long distances do not faze him. “I’ll fly back on Friday which unfortunately means I’ll miss the Test,” he said.
“I’ll be home for two days then I’ll be back out here getting ready for the second Test. Steve has been wonderfully supportive … he completely understands and I couldn’t have asked for any more.”
“It has been tough. I got to see Rob on the Thursday before he passed. I knew he was poorly but I walked in to see him and I got a big smile off him which was brilliant. He passed on the Sunday afternoon and on Monday we were in camp before coming out to Japan.
“At that point you want to be with family and friends and on the Monday morning, before I travelled down to Pennyhill. I was at the site where the Rob Burrow MND Centre is going to be. They put the first spade in the ground and his mum and dad were there along with his sisters.”
Sinfield’s recent absence on England duty, however, has left him unable to attend several public tributes to Burrow, including rugby union’s Premiership final, the FA Cup final and rugby league’s Challenge Cup final.
“There are a lot of things I’ve missed over the last few weeks. The response and respect for Rob from everyone across the UK has been wonderful and great to see. There was also a big tribute last weekend in the MND round of Super League. There’s been some bits I’d like to have been there to witness.”
The former England rugby league captain has been grateful, nevertheless for the support he has had from players and coaches on tour in Japan and New Zealand. “It’s been really good to get away and get some time to reflect. Rob would want me to be here and to be part of this. He would want me to try and be supporting the guys. The lads have been fantastic throughout my time working with them … they’ve shown compassion and care that won’t go unnoticed. Steve and the management team have been wonderful too. They’re very understanding that when you lose somebody – especially someone that close – it’s tough. I couldn’t have asked for more support.”
Sinfield is due to depart his current role after this tour but there is a strong desire among England’s players for him to stay on. For the moment, however, he is not confirming his future plans. “I’ve given it a lot of thought but I can’t share it with you today. We’ll see. What I will say is that the last couple of weeks, with what has happened with Rob, has given me plenty to think about again.
“He was a big inspiration for me to come across to rugby union to start with and he’s continued to be an inspiration with the career choices I’ve made after he got diagnosed four-and-a-half years ago. I’ve loved my time with England rugby, working with the lads. As to what comes next we’ll see.”
England, meanwhile, have visited a children’s hospital and an Auckland food bank established by the former All Black Sir Michael Jones in between training sessions before their series against the All Blacks. Sinfield says all the players are expected to be fit and is optimistic they will be competitive in Dunedin in his absence.
“We won’t be making any rash, bold statements but we’re really looking forward to the games. Having had 12 days in Japan in the heat, I think we will reap the benefit. The way the guys applied themselves was exemplary. I think we will get some payback with the training they put in.”
