Ellis Genge will be a key player for England at the World Cup. at Pennyhill Park on Sunday, as one of 28 players selected by Steve Borthwick for England's first World Cup training camp, two small pieces of a rowdy slacker removed since his last visit in March were missing.
During collection. Six Nations, on the eve of England's victory over Wales at Cardiff, Genj suffered from an attack of severe tonsillitis. Incredibly, Genge managed to play 54 minutes and become one of England's best players, but it was decided that once Bristol's season ended in May, the two offensive articles would be taken down. The 12-day recovery of the operation deprived Genge of a post-season holiday as the beach was traded for broth.
“I felt like I was about to die,” Genge, 28, tells Telegraph Sport. “I still have chronic tonsillitis, but usually in November. This time it happened at the end of February, the month of my birthday – what a gift!
“Steve asked, 'Can you do it?' The game was too close to the game to be pulled. But I had all sorts – diclofenac was enough to put an elephant to sleep. All drugs, cracked. I felt so bad after the match that I was shaking.
“We agreed that when I have a long break, I will remove my tonsils. It was a tough 12 days. I wanted to leave after that, but obviously with the Worlds approaching, I felt like I should train and gain back the weight and muscle that I had lost in the 12 day period where I couldn't eat. I don't mind sacrificing now; if I go to another world championship, then it's worth it.
Sitting at Syn, the Leicester gym he co-owns with former teammate Sam Aspland-Robinson, Genj's tonsil Revelation stabs the dagger into the heart of the 'games gone crazy' brigade.
No tonsils may be a libertine, but he's still the burly, baseball-cap-wearing Genj we've always known. He is a rough defensive midfielder with “two solid shoulders like an M5” who is about to start squatting at around 200kg. But Genge is also actively involved in socio-economic campaigns; leader; and, with his gym, an eco-warrior and entrepreneur.
Ellis Genge at his gym in Leicester. Photo: Telegraph/Andrew Fox
The 48-cap talker is a Bristolian and now a Bear, but the gym is just around the corner from Welford Road, home of his former club Leicester. His “sustainable” gym has a floor recycled from a basketball court, and a water dispenser shows how much plastic you saved by refilling a bottle.
“Sam and I both played for Leicester when we decided to open the gym , says Genj. “Apparently, I returned to Bristol, and Sam is here on a permanent basis. But we want to expand – Bristol is turning green fast, so this will probably be our next destination.
“We are 100% owners – 50/50 – but to get what we wanted first in the gym… kinetic plates on the floor that when you lose weight, use energy and return it to the grid, all these amazing things that are in the USA , they cost £10,000 per square metre. And we just couldn't afford it.
“So we made sure everything was sourced from sustainable sources – and from UK companies. We worked with local steel suppliers – it cost a little more, but it was the best way. We worked with [former English prostitute] Phil Greening from the Athletic Factory, he helped us with all the projects, trying to keep our carbon footprint low. We used [Leicester's] Topps Tiles for the bathrooms. We had to go from “totally sustainable” to “environmentally conscious” just because – and I found this out when buying an electric car – it all sounds brilliant, but, in truth, from a financial standpoint, it just isn’t viable. for everyone right now. The solar panels cost £12,000 each. Air heating costs £17,000. It costs so much for people to turn over this green leaf.
“The country's infrastructure doesn't match people's priorities because it doesn't bring in money. And people want to make money.”
Making money is one thing, but Genge wants to win without hesitation. Since the Tigers' Premier League triumph in 2022, when the bachelor was Leicester's skipper with Borthwick as manager, that will has turned into an obsession. Although he is personally “not happy” with last season, he holds the reins on the way to the World Cup, especially after a sobering first voyage as his country's captain: Twickenham's record loss to France.
“It's a strange situation because my first game as Leicester captain under Steve was a record away defeat against the Wasps,” he says. “Right after the game [against France], I experienced the same emotions as then, but I had already gone through them, so it didn’t hurt so much. Strange, isn't it? You are the most losing captain at Twickenham. And I say this with a smile on my face, not because I find it funny, but it just seems like it's a part of me, kind of an outsider, being thrown to the very bottom, drowning, and then swimming back to the bottom. surface and exit with a strong forward crawl. “Let's drop it and see if it floats.”
“I made a conscious decision to be myself”
A good omen for England is that the Genge is the most frequently sailed. He was portrayed as a “thug” early in his career, but he had to do more than most to prove the doubters wrong. Guenge is now the captain of his country, captain of the Premier League title team and England's first international. He is one of the icons of English rugby and, given the age-old debate that rugby sells its identity in a more flashy way, for Guinge, authenticity is key.
“I think the problem is that people know that rugby needs more right now, so I see a lot of people trying to portray themselves as something they are not,” he says. “This is not an answer. Accepting people for who they are is the answer. Not everyone needs to be from Knowle West and get busted when they grow up to become a rugby cult hero. If we start accepting people solely for what they are, whether they like it or not, then you can still get along and play with each other on the field. Off the field, you don't have to be best friends.
“At some point in my career, I was told to stop being so aggressive and confrontational. I read tweets and stuff on social media: “I hate Genge, he is a thug, he is like that, he is like that, he has a gap in his eyebrow, another tram line, he has golden teeth.” ! People started saying that I had terrible discipline – I had never had a red card in my life! But he paints this picture very quickly.
“I'm not saying I hate people playing rugby, I'm saying that about three years ago I made a conscious decision to say 'that's me' and unashamedly be myself.”
Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge are having fun in training. Photo: Reuters
However, for now, this metaphorical crawl forward will be replaced by a literal sprint in Pennyhill Park. For Guinge, who is reuniting with fitness guru Aled Walters from his Leicester days, it's all about fueling the team so he can compete in France in September.
“It's a lot of mindset, Genge says. “I listen to a lot of David Goggins stuff. He's shot in the knees and he just keeps running and goes into this dark place and enjoys it. I don't run very well, but I like the psychology behind it. And when I blow, I like to say, “Hell no, I'll carry on despite the pain.” I'm a dribbler but I love being in this place. But only in a team environment – I don't like to do it alone. I like being in a hole with other people. I can't pressure myself. I need someone to drive me.
“I hear people talking about who wins the World Cup and obviously there's France, Ireland, South Africa, Eddie [Jones] is going to Australia, all those names are thrown out. in. It doesn't look like England! It's never bad; it's never bad to be an outsider.”
Genge would have known more about this than anyone else.
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