'Disgusting': Ellis Genge hits back over 'gouge' allegation
Leicester skipper Ellis Genge has hit out at claims that he tried to gouge Wasps’ Francois Hougaard during last Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership match at Coventry. The loosehead was yellow-carded shortly before half-time and the incident became subject to much debate, generating fears that a citing and subsequent suspension could threaten the player’s availability for the start of the upcoming Six Nations with England.
No disciplinary action has materialised, leaving Genge free to continue captaining Leicester in the run-up to England’s February 5 trip to Scotland. He admitted on Tuesday, 48 hours after his sin-binning, that he had apologised to Leicester boss Steve Borthwick and his teammates but he insisted he never feared getting cited and he went on to hit out at the online furore over his actions.
For whatever reason, the behaviour of Genge appears to attract regular criticism. However, appearing at the virtually held Leicester media briefing ahead of next Saturday’s Champions Cup trip to Connacht, the soon-to-be 27-year-old prop defiantly defended himself and claimed his bad-boy reputation was unwarranted.
“Look, for some reason, I have got this weird perception that I have got bad discipline and stuff, I get peppered online but it goes in one ear and you the other, so yeah I feel like I probably let myself down (with the yellow card).
“I am usually the one getting the reaction as opposed to giving the reaction so it was a learning for me being on the other side of the coin where I have lost my head in a split second.
"Other players have seen red for making contact with the eye area without having any intent to gouge and for pulling hair – indeed Chris Ashton has managed both" ??
Former ref Paul Smith ?? casts an eye over this weekend's five big officiating callshttps://t.co/0neLXE3svy— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 10, 2022
“I have seen a lot of people saying that I tried to gouge him, that is absolutely ridiculous. I would never even dream of something like that, that is disgusting. But yeah, I lost my head, pushed him in the face a little bit. I’ll learn from it and have said so to the boys and I said sorry to Steve. Of course, I was disappointed,” he said, adding: “I didn’t think I would be cited, no.”
Genge’s sin-binning was one of two yellow cards suffered by Leicester in a match that heralded the first defeat in 16 matches this season for the Tigers. “Of course, it potentially cost us the game being 14 men down for that amount of time. I think mine’s an isolated incident of me losing my head for a split second off the back of someone doing something to me whereas Tommy’s [Reffell] was working his bollocks off to get back and make a try-saving tackle so there’s a big difference between the two.
“I have apologised to the boys for letting them down… It’s something I can’t promise I won’t do again but it’s one of those, you lose your head in the heat of the moment. I haven’t got a bad discipline record. I have never been red-carded in a professional game and I have got about four yellows in my professional career.
“I love it,” added Genge when asked about how proud he was to be the Leicester captain this season. “Imagine being at war and all your troops are ready to die because that is what our pack is about, being at the front of that leading them in. I love it. I don’t always get it right and the boys know that, Steve knows that and everyone else… but it’s just so easy to lead boys who are that willing.”
Leicester boss Borthwick initially worked as an England assistant with Genge before taking over at the Premiership club in July 2020 and he has nothing but the utmost respect for the development of a player who last month confirmed he had signed for his hometown Bristol for next season.
“He is a very powerful leader. The first thing he does is he sets an example, he trains so hard during the week in the gym, in the scrum sessions, whatever skill sessions and secondly is how brilliant he is at to be able to connect people.
“Whether you are an 18-year-old coming out of the academy to someone with 100-plus caps he can connect to everybody and chat and bring everybody around the table together, and then thirdly he is playing really well. So you have got someone who works hard, is brilliant with people and then is playing really well, he is an incredibly powerful leader.
“I know the matter you refer to on Sunday [the yellow card] and that has been dealt with but from my point of view, he is terrific. He speaks calmly when asked a question, he is able to give clear instructions on what needs to be done. He has grown over the years I have known him to be a top-class international Test player now.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments