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First-time skipper Ellis Genge issues blunt assessment of unacceptable record Leicester loss
Ellis Genge has laid it on the line to the Leicester squad following their record Gallagher Premiership defeat at Wasps, the first-time Tigers skipper accepting their effort in the 54-7 Ricoh Arena hammering wasn’t good enough. The England loosehead has had an interesting few months at the club, going from shelving plans to start a new players’ union to signing a contract extension and then captaining the side in his 74th appearance.
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Despite the multiple changes during the lockdown layoff, Leicester’s performances have continued to disappoint and but for Saracens’ automatic relegation for their salary cap regulation breaches, the famed East Midlands club would be in the relegation spot and fearing the drop to the Championship in the next few weeks.
Just five of 19 matches have been won in the league this season and they next welcome local rivals Northampton to Welford Road on Sunday in an effort to improve a post-lockdown run where they have lost five of their six matches and conceded 201 points.
It has not been the start the new Steve Borthwick era at Leicester was looking for and Genge claimed the poor run won’t be ignored. Speaking to LLTV prior to leaving the Ricoh following their latest defeat, he said: “Obviously, you’re going to say sorry to the fans. It’s not good enough, we know that. It’s never good enough to play like that ever in any circumstance, irrespective of what squad you have got out.
“We’re not alien to it – we know exactly what is expected of us. We expect to come here and win. We probably looked the better outfit for the first ten. It was about sustaining that and keeping going and we didn’t do that.”
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A blunt and brutal assessment of the unacceptable loss from Ellis Genge on ????… pic.twitter.com/QKlY09GYIb
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) September 9, 2020
Asked if there was a plan, he bit: “Of course there was. The idea was to f**kin’ win. Like, I said, we looked good for the first ten and no one can argue with that. We put so much pressure and so much heat, they didn’t know what to do. Slowly but surely the tries kept trickling in, then the floodgates opened. That’s what happens when you go within yourself and you don’t stick to the game plan and you come off-script. We just didn’t play well for 60 of those minutes – we just started to surrender.”
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The 47-point, eight-tries to-one losing margin wasn’t what Genge was expecting in his first go as skipper, especially as Leicester had taken an early 7-0 lead. “What a club to be a captain of, to lead those boys out. Honestly, I was buzzing all week.
“We have got a baby due today, so it was always a tough role to be put into if you were thinking about those two things, but I was completely focused on the game and we came out firing. So proud of the boys for that first ten and then the wheels came off, didn’t they? That’s just never good enough any day of the week.
“We have got a brilliant coaching team, some very senior players. I don’t think they have ever experienced a loss like that. I haven’t. Certainly in a Leicester shirt, we have been in some dark places over the past few years and that was definitely one of the darker ones.
“That is not something to be proud of today. Even with the first ten minutes, it’s not something to be proud of in any aspect of the word. I said to the boys let’s put the shirt in a better place and I don’t think any of us did that.
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“We won’t shy away from it. It definitely will be addressed and we’re looking to fix it. People at home, obviously sometimes it looks like the boys don’t want to be here, that no-one is trying, but I can assure you the work that goes in behind the scenes is relentless. We are training better than ever before. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen on the night. That was a prime example.
“You can’t expect anything,” he added about the harsh lessons learned. “Nothing is given to you in this world, anything ever. If you turn up like that and expect your job to be done for you you’re going to get rolled like we did. Just made them look so good and it was easy for them.
“Boys will learn a lot from that, myself included, especially in the captaincy side of things. You run out of things to say. What can you say when you’re 40 points down? You can’t just keep saying the same things and it’s not happening. Probably a learning experience for me in that respect but there is a lot of work to be done. We were going in the right direction and then, like I said, to take our eye off the ball, something like that happens.”
Tigers scraping the barrel at this dire rate https://t.co/jjtAueFP9z
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 9, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to comments