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'Disgusting': Ellis Genge hits back over 'gouge' allegation

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Leicester skipper Ellis Genge has hit out at claims that he tried to gouge Wasps’ Francois Hougaard during last Sunday’s Gallagher Premiership match at Coventry. The loosehead was yellow-carded shortly before half-time and the incident became subject to much debate, generating fears that a citing and subsequent suspension could threaten the player’s availability for the start of the upcoming Six Nations with England. 

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No disciplinary action has materialised, leaving Genge free to continue captaining Leicester in the run-up to England’s February 5 trip to Scotland. He admitted on Tuesday, 48 hours after his sin-binning, that he had apologised to Leicester boss Steve Borthwick and his teammates but he insisted he never feared getting cited and he went on to hit out at the online furore over his actions.   

For whatever reason, the behaviour of Genge appears to attract regular criticism. However, appearing at the virtually held Leicester media briefing ahead of next Saturday’s Champions Cup trip to Connacht, the soon-to-be 27-year-old prop defiantly defended himself and claimed his bad-boy reputation was unwarranted.   

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“Look, for some reason, I have got this weird perception that I have got bad discipline and stuff, I get peppered online but it goes in one ear and you the other, so yeah I feel like I probably let myself down (with the yellow card). 

“I am usually the one getting the reaction as opposed to giving the reaction so it was a learning for me being on the other side of the coin where I have lost my head in a split second

“I have seen a lot of people saying that I tried to gouge him, that is absolutely ridiculous. I would never even dream of something like that, that is disgusting. But yeah, I lost my head, pushed him in the face a little bit. I’ll learn from it and have said so to the boys and I said sorry to Steve. Of course, I was disappointed,” he said, adding: “I didn’t think I would be cited, no.”

Genge’s sin-binning was one of two yellow cards suffered by Leicester in a match that heralded the first defeat in 16 matches this season for the Tigers. “Of course, it potentially cost us the game being 14 men down for that amount of time. I think mine’s an isolated incident of me losing my head for a split second off the back of someone doing something to me whereas Tommy’s [Reffell] was working his bollocks off to get back and make a try-saving tackle so there’s a big difference between the two.

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“I have apologised to the boys for letting them down… It’s something I can’t promise I won’t do again but it’s one of those, you lose your head in the heat of the moment. I haven’t got a bad discipline record. I have never been red-carded in a professional game and I have got about four yellows in my professional career.

“I love it,” added Genge when asked about how proud he was to be the Leicester captain this season. “Imagine being at war and all your troops are ready to die because that is what our pack is about, being at the front of that leading them in. I love it. I don’t always get it right and the boys know that, Steve knows that and everyone else… but it’s just so easy to lead boys who are that willing.”

Leicester boss Borthwick initially worked as an England assistant with Genge before taking over at the Premiership club in July 2020 and he has nothing but the utmost respect for the development of a player who last month confirmed he had signed for his hometown Bristol for next season.

“He is a very powerful leader. The first thing he does is he sets an example, he trains so hard during the week in the gym, in the scrum sessions, whatever skill sessions and secondly is how brilliant he is at to be able to connect people.

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“Whether you are an 18-year-old coming out of the academy to someone with 100-plus caps he can connect to everybody and chat and bring everybody around the table together, and then thirdly he is playing really well. So you have got someone who works hard, is brilliant with people and then is playing really well, he is an incredibly powerful leader. 

“I know the matter you refer to on Sunday [the yellow card] and that has been dealt with but from my point of view, he is terrific. He speaks calmly when asked a question, he is able to give clear instructions on what needs to be done. He has grown over the years I have known him to be a top-class international Test player now.” 

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Comments

4 Comments
D
DP 1039 days ago

Scumbag and twit in equal measure, his wide-boy antics are annoying.

L
Lois 1039 days ago

England doing whatever it takes to keep this thug on the pitch, including ignoring foul play. 6N will be fun watching the experienced players wind Genge up every match.

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J
JPM 52 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 55 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

11 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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