Kyle Sinckler absent from England training squad before Australia tour

Kyle Sinckler has been left out of England’s training squad this week, raising questions over whether the tighthead prop will tour Australia this summer. Sinckler has missed Bristol’s Premiership run-in through injury and was absent from the 35-man squad named by Eddie Jones on Monday.

In better news for England, Jonny May returns to the squad, having just made his comeback from a long-term knee injury and in a further boost for Jones, May’s fellow wing Jack Nowell also comes back into the squad after a broken arm. Joe Launchbury is another player conspicuous by their absence, however.

Jones is already without Manu Tuilagi, Henry Slade and Sam Simmonds for the tour of Australia and Sinckler’s possible absence would further deplete the ranks. The 29-year-old has endured a season blighted by niggling injuries, however, and was named on the bench by Jones for England’s most recent match – the Six Nations defeat by France.

He has not featured for Bristol since April and along with a handful of other senior players, Sinckler was also left out of a training squad last month. At the time the Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said: “Kyle came back from the Six Nations with niggles and we have been working with him and talking with England, with the medical teams and the S&C [strength and conditioning] teams. Everyone is working to get rid of all these niggles and to get back him back to full fitness.”

May, meanwhile, came off the bench for the last 25 minutes of Gloucester’s 54-7 win over Saracens on Saturday for a first appearance since January, having missed England’s disappointing Six Nations campaign. Jones has wasted little time recalling the 32-year-old wing, calling May into the 35-man squad for a three-day camp in