Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Damning Rugby Pod verdict: 'Genge looked like he wasn't interested'

By Liam Heagney
Ellis Genge grapples with Leicester's James Cronin (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Rugby Pod co-host Andy Goode believes the abject performance last Saturday by Ellis Genge on his return to his old club Leicester was a symptom of deeper problems at Bristol that could ultimately lead to the sacking of director of rugby Pat Lam. The Bears had arrived at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on the back of a four-game winning streak that had lifted them out of the doldrums near the foot of the Gallagher Premiership table.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, having thrived during the league’s Six Nations period, they struggled in the first round since the completion of that championship and were blown away in the second half at Leicester, losing 46-24.

Bristol had just gone 17-15 in front when Genge, the England round four skipper versus France, was introduced off the bench for Yann Thomas but they were eclipsed by four tries to one during his half-hour-plus stint on the pitch.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

Retired England out-half Goode took a dim view of what he saw regarding Genge and claimed it was symptomatic of dressing room unrest that could jeopardise the Bristol stewardship of Lam – even though he is tied to a multi-year deal at the Ashton Gate club.

The seventh-place Bristol are 10 points off fourth with just three matches remaining, leaving them unlikely to make the playoffs for the second season in succession since topping the regular-season table in 2020/21 and then imploding in the semi-finals after leading Harlequins 28-0.

Alleged dressing room rumblings are, according to Goode, now taking their toll, a situation reflected in how Genge didn’t perform last weekend for Bristol on his first return to Welford Road since skippering Leicester to Premiership glory last June at Twickenham. “We need to talk about Genge,” began Goode on the latest episode of the show he co-hosts with Jim Hamilton, a former Leicester teammate. “I watched him thinking this will be juicy.

“Leicester’s ex-captain coming back, he is a Bristol boy, first time back at Welford Road and I have been there, I played at Leicester for 10 years and the first time I ever came back to Welford Road as an away player at the end of my 10-year tenure I got sent off because I booted Tom Croft in the face – the emotions get hold of you.

ADVERTISEMENT

“So, Ellis Genge is coming on and I’m thinking he is going to do something. He is going to get angry; he is going to be aggressive at the breakdown, he is going to try and dominate the scrum. He got hosed at scrum time because as soon as he came on, Richard Wigglesworth brought Dan Cole on. Cole absolutely shoved his [Genge’s] head up his own arse. Genge looked like he wasn’t interested. He was basically patting all the Leicester lads on the back as if he was still a Leicester player but in a Bristol jersey.

“The only time he got angry at the end of the game was when Leicester scored a try right at the death and James Cronin is giving him some stick and then they start headbutting and I think there were fingers around the eye area and he got a bit angry towards the end but really surprised. It was like he wasn’t bothered – and I think that is the same for a few of the Bristol boys.

“I think there is a big issue there at Bristol around the empathy and the team spirit within the squad and there is some sort of breakdown there. Yes, they have won a few games recently, but we have said it for a while, there is something not right there, and the fact that Pat Lam is on a seven-year contract – it’s only down to six years now – I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a big change.

“Just rumblings and there are a lot of players leaving. Bristol have spent all this cash, unbelievable squad, but the hangover of losing that semi a few years ago when they were top of the league, got turned over by Quins when they were 28-nil up or something, they haven’t recovered from that. There is a bit of ill-feeling in the squad for various different reasons and if you are Steve Lansdown putting loads of cash in and now you are losing (Semi) Radradra, (Charles) Piutau, there is a lot of other players leaving as well, I don’t know. Big questions.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hamilton added: “When you look at Bristol, they are now seventh, they should be a top-four side with the players that they have got. You have got Ellis Genge, England captain/vice-captain. You have got Semi Radradra, one of the best players in the league albeit he was injured at the beginning of the season.

“You have got Charles Piutau, a million-pound player. Kyle Sinckler at tighthead, you’ve got (Steven) Lautua in the back row as well just to name a few and you’re thinking they are not going to make the top four at the end of the Premiership season. They have underachieved this year and obviously last year considering they were semi-finalists before that.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Adrian 44 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me' Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me'
Search