Ellis Genge has been left confused and outraged by the backlash against England’s victory over Scotland – which saw them win the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020.
The 30-year-old Bristol prop is a vice-captain of the national team and a stalwart of the pack who has endured plenty of ‘trauma’ on Test duty in recent times, so he was euphoric about the tense 16-15 win over the Scots at Twickenham in the last round of the Six Nations. But England’s pragmatic performance drew a torrent of criticism and that shocked Genge.
In 2024, Steve Borthwick’s side lost of series of close games, but their last two have culminated in one-point wins – against France before edging out their northern neighbours. However, the lack of attacking intent led to England being booed at Twickenham before the post-match backlash from public and pundits alike.
Now, Genge has returned fire, with an impassioned riposte, saying: ‘I love the fans, they’re brilliant, when they’re on their feet, singing, what a stadium. But post-game… and ex-players, recently retired and long retired, and people from years and years ago… I just can’t believe how out of touch they are, the spiel that I’m reading from people saying how off it we are. We won two games on the bounce and you’re upset about it, I don’t get it.
‘I’ve been in the bleakest of times and I’ve also won a few bits as well and I think I’m very aware of where the dial is. The maddest thing about it is, if Finn (Russell, Scotland’s fly-half) gets that kick at the end, I can imagine this would be a very different feeling now and the fans… I don’t know how they’d feel, but it would be mental, wouldn’t it? Pitchforks would be out. But it’s a results-driven business, as far as I’m aware.’
Speaking in York, where England have trained this week, Genge was evidently fired-up by a mood of simmering defiance. He spoke with fierce intent and made a strong case. A key message was that there should be a greater emphasis on substance over style, in terms of the expectations placed on England, rather than the opposite, which has sometimes been the case of late.
Ellis Genge has hit back at England’s critics after their win over Scotland last weekend
England won the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years, but their methods were criticised
A handful of fans and former players are not happy with England’s habit of kicking the ball away rather than running with it under head coach Steve Borthwick (above)
‘In the last 18 months, every time we’ve lost by a point, we’ve been slandered, and on the weekend we win by a point and it’s the same old story. It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We lost to Australia in the autumn and everyone was like, “Brilliant, brilliant, look how they move the ball – 37 points they scored”. But we lost, so who gives a f***?
‘Do you want to be part of a team that wins every single game by one point? Or would you rather be part of a team that loses every single week, 40 points to 39. I know what type of team I want to be in. I understand from a fans’ perspective; what you want to see. You want to see us coming through with back-door off-loads and no-look chip-and-chase. But it don’t win Test matches.
‘Scotland kicked the ball more than us, or definitely further. They had a straight-bat strategy as well, but everyone said how brilliant they were. They moved the ball to the edge well but that’s what Scotland do, it’s not what we do at the moment. But we won the game.
‘It is difficult as a player to digest the fact that people were disappointed that we just won the Calcutta Cup back after five years or however long it’s been. We won the game and people are still upset about it. It blew my mind to be honest.
‘Against Ireland at home last year, we beat them and we actually moved the ball quite well, because the game permitted that. People were really happy. On the flip side, with this (Scotland) game, we didn’t play the most expansive rugby, it was tight, it was nitty-gritty.
‘Being able to box clever is a strength of ours; being able to adapt. Sometimes the game is ugly and in the last three games we haven’t thrown the ball about and done what the fans want to see every week, but that is Test rugby. If you want to see that, come to Ashton Gate (to watch Bristol). If you want to see some mental rugby, that’s where you find it.’
By this stage, Genge was well and truly into his stride, full of wounded conviction. Asked if people truly grasp the difference between Test rugby and the thrills-and-spills version of the game they see most weeks in the Premiership, he said: ‘No, of course they don’t.’
And what about the need for a tactical rethink or revolution, just as there had been in the same city at the same juncture in last year’s championship? ‘I don’t think something has got to change,’ he added. ‘In our last two games, we beat France at home and we beat Scotland, but apparently France should have beat us by 20 and Scotland should have beat us as well. I’m confused. We’ve won our past two games, and, apparently, we should have lost them.
‘I want credit for winning. We’re in a results business. It is black, it is white, you either win or you lose – or you draw. When we win, to have a bitter taste in our mouth is confusing. After four years of trauma, to win something back and almost have a negative feel about it was upsetting for me.’
When asked if this type of negativity in the aftermath of a victory is a particular English issue, Genge said: ‘I feel like it is.’ Assistant coach Kevin Sinfield also seized on that theme, suggesting that it has long been a factor across a multitude of sports.
‘It is more so (an issue), with being English,’ he said. ‘Absolutely. Look at the England football team and the amount of stick they get, when they are winning games. They can’t play or won’t play like Barcelona, so we’ve got to understand that.
England had many heartbreaking defeats in 2024, leading to pressure mounting on Borthwick
Genge says England can’t play ‘gung-ho’ rugby, and has made no apology for how they are approaching games in this year’s Six Nations
‘I am here to win. Of course, utopia is we win by 50 points, we play free-flowing rugby and throw the ball everywhere. But the reality is, that ain’t going to happen. It doesn’t mean we don’t strive for that, but we’ve got to understand the opposition can play too. If we go out that gung-ho, we’ll be stood under our posts for a fair amount of time and probably be out of a job very quickly too.’
Genge looked ahead to England’s next fixture, at home against Italy next Sunday – March 9 – and acknowledged that the hosts will be subject to sky-high expectations, after France thrashed the Azzurri 73-24 in Rome last weekend. Such utter dominance is highly unlikely, but to have a good chance of winning with room to spare, England will need to park the angst caused by the reaction to their latest result.
‘France were always looking to move the ball so freely and it’s never an issue with offloads and stuff,’ he said. ‘Whereas I feel sometimes for us, for whatever reason, we can get a bit tense with the stakes of the game, and it probably prevents us from being as expansive as we want. As long as, when we get to Italy, we’re freed up and not thinking about people being upset at us for beating Scotland by a point, I think we’ll be alright.’
While the recriminations were swirling around last week, Genge had other matters to attend to, back in the West Country. ‘My boy had chicken pox,’ he said. ‘It’s been a nightmare. No sleep. My missus is 37 weeks pregnant and my boy’s got chicken pox, so no rest for the wicked.’
While he is committed to England, the veteran loosehead’s priority is his family, so if his wife goes into labour before the Six Nations finale against Wales in Cardiff, he will rush to join her. ‘Of course,’ he said, when asked if he would leave camp. ‘That is your main role, as a father you have got to be there for your family, as a provider.’
Genge will provide for his family and defend them. The same applies to his team, as he has shown once again.
