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'That is bizarre': Ellis Genge's blunt reaction to his first-half yellow card which he followed by scoring a try with bruising carries on his return

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Ellie Genge has labelled his first-half sin-binning by referee Luke Pearce as bizarre following a clear-out by the Leicester prop on Harlequins’ Jack Kenningham at a Welford Road ruck. When play initially stopped in the 27th minute on Saturday, the official brandished visiting winger Nathan Earle the yellow card for a deliberate knock-on which had prevented Nemani Nadolo from taking a pass near the try line.

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However, before the referee got to restart play, Pearce was asked by TMO Tom Foley to review a breakdown intervention by Genge which had taken place prior to Earle’s deliberate knock-on. The referee was initially satisfied after reviewing the footage that nothing untoward had taken place at the ruck, but he then went on to change his mind. 

It resulted in the carding of Genge, a decision the prop forward was not at all happy with, and it led to the return of Earle as his yellow card was scrubbed out and he was cleared to play on without missing ten minutes in the bin at a time in the match where Leicester were leading 21-12 but had lost Dan Cole to the bin just a couple of minutes earlier, leaving them going down to just 13 players.

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A pent-up Genge channelled his anger excellently, though, returning from the bin just before the interval to score the Leicester bonus point try and his second of the game after he initially levelled James Lang on his first carry (Lang needed a HIA) before then burrowing past Danny Care and Marcus Smith on a pick and go at the line to score on 39 minutes. Here is how the yellow card conversation unfolded earlier between the match officials and what Genge bluntly said when he was eventually told to go off.

TMO FOLEY: I am about to show you a clear-out by Leicester No1. We’re just going to throw it up on the screen now.  

REFEREE PEARCE: Time off, please. Tom, we are seeing angles from the one side which possibly makes it look a little bit worse. Can we see a camera from this side of the field because we might see the actions of Genge that is he going into to wrap and clear the man out?

FOLEY: The clear-out live from my side looked a good legal clear-out. 

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PEARCE: He is just a little unfortunate that he scraped past his head on the right side. Let’s just have another look just to box this off.   

FOLEY: We are just trying to find that angle. Here’s it comes. 

PEARCE: His arms are on the leg and the body so clearly that side is play on, so it is just on that far side that we need to make sure that we are being accurate enough.

FOLEY: There is a clear attempt to grasp, that is what we are saying, so we are just going to check the contact. 

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PEARCE: Tom, my initial view here is that we are playing on because the far side camera is absolutely fine. He brushes past his head, he hasn’t aimed deliberately to smack the guy in the head. So my initial view is to play on, boys. 

FOLEY: Luke, there is clear contact with the head. I understand that it is a legal attempt to clear out but there is contact with the head with the right arm of Leicester No1.   

PEARCE: So this clearly can’t be play on because there is contact with the head. 

FOLEY: I don’t believe it to be a high degree of danger.

PEARCE: It’s not reckless, it’s not overly dangerous but there is contact with the head so we are talking a yellow card, aren’t we? 

FOLEY: Yes. 

PEARCE: So No1, please.

FOLEY: That happens before the deliberate knock-on as well, just be aware.

PEARCE: Can we line the Quins player up to come back on because this all happened before the deliberate knock-on?

PEARCE TO GENGE: Your effort is almost good enough but your right arm does clock him in the head, so that is a yellow card. It’s not a red. 

GENGE: That is bizarre.

PEARCE: I understand but it is a yellow card. 

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours 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

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 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
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