"We've been slandered" – Ellis Genge hits back at 'out of touch' England critics
02/28/2025 07:00 AM
Ellis Genge has expressed his frustration, to all those who are criticising the England team. Whether it be fans, former players or the press, the ‘Baby Rhino’ was on the charge at everyone with unrealistic expectations of his teammates. Despite winning back-to-back Test matches in the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Genge is unhappy to see his side “slandered” for their on-field performances.
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England have scraped narrow wins against France (26-25) and Scotland (16-15) in recent Six Nations Test weeks, yet pockets of fans and ‘out of touch’ former players, remain unhappy with what Borthwick’s team are putting into play. Genge explained how he feels like England ‘can’t win’ in the eyes of their critics, even though his side has turned a corner to return to winning form.
“I love the fans, I think they're brilliant, I go round clapping them after every game. I love them, 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.”
Genge made his feelings known, in how he is fed up in seeing negative comments from those who are meant to be supporting his side. The loose-head explained how he would always prefer to be on a team that grinds out the narrow results in an uglier, old-school style, than be on one that loses each week but is entertaining to watch.
“So, 15 of the last 19 games have been within one score. On the weekend, we win by one point, and headlines are the same. Do you know what I mean, it’s still sort of like… ‘England only won by a point’, whereas in the last 18 months, every time we’ve lost by a point, we’ve been slandered. On the weekend we win by a point and it’s the same old story. So, it feels like we can’t win, to be honest. That’s how I feel.”
“It’s like, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We lost Australia, I think by two points in the Autumn, everyone was like, ‘Brilliant, brilliant! Look how they (England) move the ball! 38 points they scored.’ But we lost. So, who gives a f*ck? You lost the game.”
Genge hammered home his point by highlighting how well South Africa achieved the narrow wins at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Despite winning all of their knockout matches by just one point, the Springboks evaded the critics and were lauded with praise for their efficiency as back-to-back World Champions.
“Do you want to be part of a team that wins every single game by one point? Yeah. Would you still look at it negatively then? 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 (on).”
“What was the score in the (Rugby World Cup) semi final? 16-15. Did anyone slag them (South Africa) off?” Genge laughed.
The 2025 edition of the Calcutta Cup was decided by the missed conversion from Finn Russell, and Genge believes that England fans would have had their ‘pitchforks out’ had the kick snatched a late win for Scotland. The Test matches are so often decided by the fine margins, but this was a rare example of the cards finally falling in England’s favour, after an assortment of narrow losses throughout 2024.
“It's never as good as you think it is, never as bad as you think it is. 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, 15 of those games all within a score, if Finn gets that kick at the end I can imagine this would be a very different feeling now.
“The fans, I don't know how they'd feel, but it'd (have been) mental, wouldn't it. Pitchforks would be out. But it's literally professional sport and it's a results driven business as far as I'm aware, and within one kick or one score or one passage of play, which can dictate the mood of a whole campaign.
“Let's call a spade a spade, if he (Russell) hit that last kick it would be a very different conversation. We're not numb to the fact that's the reality of things, so yeah, never too high, never too low. With the young boys I think it's a bit different, I think they probably feel the negatives a bit more and they definitely feel the positives a bit more. They're big Cheshire cats, big grins, but that comes with age and experience and being exposed to those situations.”
The Bristolian was certainly animated as he entered the media session, as England embarked on a few days of training at York’s LNER Community Stadium. Despite beating Les Bleus for the first time since 2021, and bringing the fabled Calcutta Cup back to London for the first time in half a decade, England remain on the end of criticism for how they go about securing the wins in a less than fashionable way.
“I understand from a fans' perspective; what you want to see.” Genge elaborated. “You want to see us coming through with back-door off-loads and no-look chip-and-chase. But it doesn’t win Test matches. It don't win Test matches.
“I think as well, 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 it's one of them; 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.”
The loose-head summarised this with an overriding sense of confusion, as England have come under heavy fire even after winning two consecutive Six Nations matches, as when according to their critics, ‘they should have lost’. England succumbed to boos mid-way though the match against Scotland, as the Calcutta Cup match had a heavy box-kicking influence, thanks to the Scottish tactical approach.
“I’m confused, exactly what I just said. I’m confused. We’ve won our past two games, and apparently we should have lost them.” Genge said. “Our last 15 games (of 19) within one score as well… no, that was the right decision. Shouldn’t have won them. Should have lost them. But the ones we won apparently we should have lost them as well. Let me know when we should start winning!”
"I want people to understand, I know we are not playing the most loose rugby. I don't want credit for playing the most loose rugby, I want credit for winning. That is what we are in, we are in a results business. It is black, it is white, you either win or you lose or you draw. But when we win, to have a bitter taste in our mouth is confusing.
“After four years of trauma to win something back (Calcutta Cup) and almost have a negative feel about it was upsetting for me. This is a professional game and you have to move on.”
Genge then welcomed anyone who wants to watch high-octane fast flowing rugby down to Ashton Gate, as his Bristol Bears side are amongst the top Premiership entertainers with the ball in hand. Second only to perhaps Harlequins, Bristol have an exciting attacking line that often enjoy an offload-orientated style, more like a Pacific Island nation than that of a West Country rugby club.
The prop expressed how playing for Bristol and on the Test match level with England are incomparable, and Genge hopes that one day the majority of England fans and media pundits will appreciate the difference in the tactical approaches to the two levels. As for now, Genge said; “No, of course they don't.”
“It's very different. You cannot compare the two. Two years ago, you had Semi Radradra (ex-Bristol and Fiji international) playing against people who had been pulled in from universities. At Test level you haven't got that, so you don't have as much time and space. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it, but they're not, are they?”
Genge explained this by calling upon two one-point wins from England’s latest Six Nations campaigns, as opportune reason why his side need to be cut some slack.
“Against Ireland at home last year (23-22 win, 2024 Six Nations) we beat them and we actually moved the ball quite well, because the game permitted that. People were really happy with it. On the flip side, with this (Scotland) game, we didn't play the most expansive rugby, it was tight, it was nitty-gritty. We won three scrum penalties but no-one speaks about that.
“Being able to box clever and being able to fight on the inside and the out, that 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. If you want to see some mental rugby, that's where you find it!”
England are set to take on Italy next Sunday, with Steve Borthwick’s side entering the Allianz as heavy favourites for round four. France racked up a significant 73-24 away win in Rome last weekend, with England fans hoping to see their side emulate Fabien Gathie’s men with a similarly strong score-line, having already racked up a win over Les Bleus. However, Genge argues that if England achieve that, there is a chance the win could also be diminished, as it was ‘only against Italy’.
“I think maybe four years ago people would have said that (it’s only Italy – not a significant win). But I think over the last period of time, they (Italy) have been brilliant. They beat Wales in Wales. They took a few scalps. So I don't think they're a team that people think is a guaranteed win anymore. I think the're putting out some really good rugby and they really pushed Scotland as well. From the outside it might be (a straightforward win) but we're definitely not preparing like that.”
“It's difficult. Italy actually started quite well didn't they? They were in it for a bit and then France were French and got away with it because of the way they play. They are very emotional people (the Italians) but the way the games goes doesn't really affect the way they play with the ball. They're always looking to move the ball so freely and it's never an issue with offloads and stuff.
“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. So as long as we flush that out of our system when we get to Italy we're freed up and we're not thinking about people being upset at us for beating Scotland by a point I think we'll be alright.
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