England coach Kevin Sinfield admits Owen Farrell ‘must learn’ how to tackle safely

England manager Kevin Sinfield has revealed that Owen Farrell “accepts that he needs to change” after his latest suspension for dangerous tackles.

Farrell, who was named England captain, is serving a four-match ban that will be reduced to three when he attends a tackle clinic.

The reduction means he will be available for England’s opening Six Nations match against Scotland, but Sinfield has reinforced the need for his players to tackle safely.

England captain Owen Farrell is currently suspended for dangerous tackling

The four-game suspension will be reduced to three after he attends a tackle clinic.

“I think throughout the sport we know we have to change,” Sinfield said. ‘Owen fully accepts that he needs to change and he is willing to work very hard at it.

“Interestingly, Steve [Borthwick] it reminded me of the second time we met, which was in my kitchen in Oldham. We talked about tackle height 18 months ago. We knew it was a problem within the sport, we both fully support the security measures that are in place.

‘We discussed these first gates. Anyone who has worked with me at Leicester will know how hard we strive for tackle height. We want children from all over the country to assume good roles, boys and girls, to practice our sport.

Kevin Sinfield has admitted dangerous tackling needs to be addressed ‘across the sport’

We want parents to be happy for their children to play, so we fully support safety measures.

We will work hard from day one on tackle height within our team. We are not shying away from the fact that the game has to change.

Our elite players will need to make some adjustments, but we also understand, both of us, that we will make mistakes along the way just like the players. How we handle that is going to be very, very important.

The RFU’s legal department intervened over the weekend, writing a controversial letter to Saracens about his availability for his club and thus ensuring he can be picked for the Six Nations.

Steve Borthwick confirmed that Farrell will be available for the start of the Six Nations

Borthwick distanced himself from the loophole, saying: “That process is independent of me and I think the process should always be independent of the manager.”

‘We all wanted clarity and I sought clarity on that last week. I received clarity on Friday and it was publicly announced on Saturday that it was available.

‘I follow the process. I looked for clarity, I received clarity on Friday and I was told unequivocally that Owen is available for selection and then my job is to train the players and select them accordingly.