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Watch: Ellis Genge involved in sideline incident prior to Newcastle match
By Ian Cameron
England prop Ellis Genge has once again found himself at the centre of conversation in the sport after a bizarre sideline confrontation with Newcastle Falcons prop Jon Welsh.
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Although it’s not clear who instigated the incident, cameras picked up Genge shouting the odds at Newcastle players during their warm-up prior to Leicester Tigers’ match with Newcastle at Welford Road.
Welsh decided to confront Genge and made his way over to the fiery prop who was standing in the Tigers’ dugout near the halfway line. Welsh then feints an attack on Genge, who takes a step back, before Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick gets between the pair.
That first scrum is going to be VERY interesting… ?#GallagherPrem pic.twitter.com/bwcSW2NTXm
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 28, 2021
Tigers went on to win the match 26 – 12.
Genge was the centre of attention last weekend following an incident with Ireland flyhalf Johnny Sexton in the Guinness Six Nations. Genge was not cited despite appearing to strike Sexton with his forearm on the Irish try line.
The incident was one of the main subplots following the game. Exeter Chiefs winger Jack Nowell told the RugbyPass Offload this week that Genge was a special player, even if he’s a ball of anger.
“It’s hard,” Nowell said. “Because from the outside if you don’t know him you could maybe have that opinion but I’ve seen what he can do on the field and I’ve seen what he can do off the field, but I think what he adds is something you can’t really teach.
“He’s almost like a ball of anger that as soon as he gets the ball in his hands he’s trying to run through whatever’s in front of him. You can’t get that in some players, it’s very hard to do.
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“He’s got that streak in him, it’s just trying to find it and trying to get it out and giving him the chance to get it out. Because he knows he’s got a few bits to work on as well. But that passion and that anger on the field sometimes is uncoachable.
“He will do anything for you on the field, he will look after you out there. So to have that in a player beside you I think is pretty special.”
