Ellis Genge wins Gallagher PREM Player of the Month award

After winning three consecutive Player of the Match awards, Ellis Genge has been named the Gallagher PREM Player of the Month for December.

The in-form Bristol, England and Lions prop won 44 per cent of the public vote to beat off stiff competition from Exeter No.8 Greg Fisilau and Northampton duo, George Hendy and Tommy Freeman.

The award follows a dominant run of form for the Bears, who secured three successive bonus-point victories in the Gallagher PREM across Rounds 6 to 8, including a home win over table-toppers Northampton Saints and an emphatic victory against Harlequins in the London side’s traditional Big Game 17 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with Genge central to their success.

Genge delivered an all-action 73-minute performance against Harlequins during the festive round of fixtures, making the second-most metres in the match and scoring one of the tries of the season from a quick lineout to cap a famous away victory.

The 30-year-old was equally influential in Round 8 against Newcastle Red Bulls. Despite entering from the bench, Genge produced a powerful display, ranking third for defenders beaten and fifth for metres made across the entire round in just 36 minutes on the field.

Northampton’s break-out winger, Edoardo Todaro, was the winner of the first of this season’s awards in October. There wasn’t a vote in November, as the PREM took a break for the duration of the Quilter Nations Series.