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'What I don't think people will ever focus on is that he is getting really, really good': The Ellis Genge improvement a blind eye is being turned to

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by PA)

An England World Cup winner had suggested that the colourful persona of Leicester prop Ellis Genge and the attention it attracts from both his followers and detractors has resulted in the most important thing about the front-rower often getting overlooked – the general improvement of his game around the pitch in recent times.

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The 26-year-old was in the headlines again earlier this month after he was snubbed by Lions coach Warren Gatland for the 2021 tour to South Africa. Mako Vunipola, England’s more regular loosehead, was instead chosen to travel, a decision that lent itself to the impression that Genge has struggled to take his game on newer levels.

Ben Kay, though, doesn’t agree with that assessment, believing instead that Genge has recently become the best version of himself yet and is doing plenty of things during matches that he isn’t getting enough recognition for.

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Much like Kyle Sinckler and the impressive way the Bristol tighthead has bounced back from his Lions omission, Genge has got stuck in unshackled with Leicester and was a compelling two-try force in last Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership win over Harlequins ahead of this Friday night’s Challenge Cup final versus Montpellier at Twickenham.  

Twice a Heineken Cup winner for the Tigers as a second row, Kay will hope to be commentating on a Leicester victory when he takes the mic for BT Sport in London and he is expecting Genge to be a player who can make his presence felt against a power-packed Montpellier who did a semi-final number three weeks ago on Bath at The Rec. 

“Ellis Genge has got a unique skill set and a unique personality and that is great for the club,” enthused Kay to RugbyPass. “What I don’t think people will ever focus on is that he is getting really, really good at some of the core skills in his position as well. So as a scrummager, I know speaking to scrum coaches that he has hugely progressed that area of his game now and that is a big part. 

“When you talk about Leicester’s ability to win penalties in the middle of the field with their scrum you’d probably think it’s Dan Cole but it’s not just Dan Cole now, Ellis Genge is really to the forefront there. He is great value for the club and hopefully winning this (cup final) and seeing a big future is ahead at Leicester will mean that he wants to stay.” 

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Genge’s off-field comments are often criticised but Kay has no problem with the front-rower being the outspoken individual that he is as the sport would be all the poorer if the prop went with the general flow and instead opted to say nothing about anything like quite a lot of rugby players.  

“Even if you don’t agree with him he doesn’t have to be right. He is not sort of telling everyone else that they should think how he thinks. He is just being honest about what he thinks. You want a bit of fun on the pitch, you don’t want sort of staid and boring. Working in the media the last thing you want is someone you have got nothing to write about because they will talk for half an hour without actually saying anything.”

  • BT Sport 1 will show Leicester Tigers vs Montpellier in the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup live from Twickenham on Friday, May 21, from 7pm

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J
Jon 2 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”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 5 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 7 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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