Leeds’s injured stand-off Sinfield set for six weeks on sidelines

He will see a specialist this morning to further assess the damage suffered during Friday night’s 30-10 International Origin win over the Exiles but the likelihood is he will require immediate surgery.

The Leeds Rhinos stand-off had delivered an inspirational display in the first half of England’s victory on Friday night.

The 32-year-old once more showed his Golden Boot form and also versatility, effortlessly switching to hooker and causing no end of trouble for their Anzac opposition with his striking running game, but failed to reappear for the second period of the night.

There is a very slim chance Sinfield could still delay any operation. Indeed, given his fortitude and previous ability to seemingly defy medical science it would be no great surprise if he appeared Lazarus-like and actually played for the champions against Widnes Vikings this evening.

However, Leeds coach Brian McDermott is already preparing to be without his talisman – who has not missed a Super League game in nearly three years – until the end of July.

“Kev’s going to have an operation on either Monday or Tuesday and he will be out for about six weeks,” McDermott confirmed.

Sinfield, too, is all the more likely to go under the knife now given the proximity of the World Cup to the end of the season and the need for him to be fit and firing then.

His injury and the departure late on in the game of Hull FC captain Gareth Ellis with a back injury were the two main areas of concern for England coach Steve McNamara on an otherwise largely rewarding evening at Warrington.

Admittedly, he was disappointed with the manner in which his squad failed to maintain their first-half dominance – they led 24-0 having produced some wonderful scores – but he will surely fly out to Australia on Wednesday quietly encouraged by the signs from their last scheduled game before the World Cup begins at the end of October.

He will watch his first-choice props Sam Burgess and James Graham during a 20-day trip to meet his NRL-based players but, in an impressive performance against the Exiles, Warrington’s Chris Hill certainly showed he is not suffering from second-season syndrome as an international player. Huddersfield Giants’ Eorl Crabtree was similarly to the fore and, with both Garreth Carvell and Adrian Morley waiting in the wings, McNamara knows his home-based players are doing just fine themselves.

Sinfield’s performance was perhaps most enlightening, satisfying the national coach that the Leeds player can certainly invigorate the side from dummy-half as well as No 6 if required, a crucial benefit when it comes to selecting just 17 players at the tournament this autumn.

With his two tries and fearsome defence, Huddersfield’s Leroy Cudjoe also put plenty of pressure on injured Leeds centre Kallum Watkins and Brisbane Broncos’ Jack Reed when it comes to World Cup starting spots.

McNamara will get to analyse plenty of England’s World Cup opponents as well as his own squad members during the next three weeks of “fact-finding”.

He will take in 10 matches in total including the second State of Origin game – he has been invited to observe Queensland’s training camp ahead of that Brisbane clash – which will see the majority of Australia’s Test squad in action who England will probably face in their Cardiff opener on October 26.

“Our boys are doing us proud in the NRL and for the first time in a number of years there is massive respect for our players and their influence within the game,” said McNamara.

“It’s important to embrace the sport and there is no better way to create awareness of the international game than speaking to the Australian media in their own backyard.”