 Genge in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-02-16)16 February 1995 (age 30) Bristol, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (256 lb; 18 st 4 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hartpury College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ellis Genge (born 16 February 1995) is an English professionalrugby union player who plays as aprop forPremiership Rugby clubBristol Bears and theEngland national team.[3][4]
Before moving toLeicester Tigers, Genge had a brief professional career with Bristol. He played in more than 100 games during his tenure with Leicester, captaining the team to aPremiership title in2022. In 2016, Genge made his debut for England againstWales.
Born inBristol[3] Genge grew up on theKnowle West council estate,[5] and was educated atJohn Cabot Academy.[6] He is a fan ofBristol Rovers football club.[7]
He started playing rugby aged twelve atOld Redcliffians playing in the back row.[8] At sixteen, Genge moved toHartpury College and captained theirrugby team to victory in the AASE league.[8] Genge represented England at youth level from U17 up to U20.[9] According to Genge, he was first introduced to the front row by former England youth coach Bobby Walsh originally to have as an additional option but this eventually resulted in a permanent career change.[10] Genge was an amazing player in his early years and was a threat to many teams.[opinion]
Genge joinedBristol at the age of eighteen and was convinced to change position from back row toprop by the offer of a two-year contract if he made the positional change.[8] He went on loan toClifton to play loosehead prop inNational 2 South during the 2014–2015 season starting thirteen games and coming on as a substitute in one other match. He was also signed byPlymouth Albion, in the same season, in a dual-registration deal with Bristol, playing 2 matches.
Genge made his professional debut for Bristol on 8 December 2013 in theBritish and Irish Cup againstScottish sideGala, scoring a try in a 62–7 win.[11] His first league game in theRFU Championship came againstLondon Scottish on 26 September 2014.[8] Genge represented England at under-17 level.[9] He was a member of theEngland Under-20 squad that won the2015 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[12][13] Later that year he started for the side that lost toNew Zealand in the final of the2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship to finish runners up.[14][15]
He made 26 appearances during his first spell at the club.[16]
Genge gained the attention ofRichard Cockerill, moving toLeicester Tigers on loan in February 2016.[9] The move was, in part, due to off-field issues, including being arrested after an away game againstUlster in 2015.[11][17] He made his Leicester debut as substitute againstWasps on 12 March 2016, replacingMarcos Ayerza, and his first start came on 7 May 2016 againstBath atthe Rec. The move to Leicester was made permanent on 26 May 2016.[16]
Genge became a regular for Leicester in the 2016–17 season playing a club-leading 31 matches in the season. It was during this campaign he started for the side that defeatedExeter Chiefs in the final of the2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup.[18] The season ended with him named the club's young player of the year and winning the Premiership Discovery of the Season Award.[19][20]
On 2 December 2017 Genge suffered a shoulder injury in a league match against Wasps.[21] After four months injured he returned to the starting line up on 7 April 2018 against Bath in a match atTwickenham.[22]
For Leicester, Genge scored a try against Ulster in the semi-final of the2021 EPCR Challenge Cup as Leicester came back from an 11-point half-time deficit to win.[23] He then started in the final as they finished runners up toMontpellier by a single point.[24]
Genge captained Leicester for the first time in September 2020, a 54–7 defeat away toWasps,[25] and was appointed as the club's permanent captain, replacingTom Youngs, before the2021-22 Premiership Rugby season.[26] Genge led Leicester to their first league title for nine seasons as they beatSaracens 15–12 in the 2022 Premiership Final.[27]
On 15 December 2021 it was confirmed that Genge would leave Leicester in the summer of 2022 to re-joinBristol.[28] The signing was announced with a video that caused controversy.[29] Genge revealed that closeness to family and the ability to see them regularly played a key part in his decision, withCOVID lockdowns having caused him to re-assess his priorities.[30]
In May 2016 Genge received his first call-up to the seniorEngland squad by coachEddie Jones after only one start for Leicester.[31] On 29 May 2016 he made his international debut as a second-half substitute during a 27–13 win againstWales atTwickenham.[32][33] Genge was included on the2016 England rugby union tour of Australia but was not used in any of the matches.
At the end of the season withJoe Marler andMako Vunipola selected for the2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, Genge made his first start for England on theirtour of Argentina.[34]
Genge scored his first international try in a warm-up game for the2019 Rugby World Cup againstItaly atSt James' Park.[35] He was selected for his first world cup and made two substitute appearances at the tournament both during the pool stage againstTonga andUSA.[3][36] He did not participate in the knockout phase as England finished runners up toSouth Africa.[37]
Genge scored the winning try againstScotland during the2020 Six Nations Championship.[38] After the delay caused by theCOVID Pandemic lockdown he came off the bench in the final round of the competition as England beat Italy to win the tournament.[39] Genge started for England as they defeatedFrance in extra time to win theAutumn Nations Cup.[40] In July 2021 Genge scored a try againstCanada.[41]
Genge was included in the squad for the2022 tour of Australia and scored a try in the first test match, which England lost 30–28.[42] He was prominent during the second test victory inBrisbane and then started again in the decisive final match as England defeatedAustralia atSydney Cricket Ground to win the series.[43][44]
On 21 November 2022, Genge was named inWorld Rugby'steam of the year as the best loosehead prop.[45]
On 8 May 2025, Genge was included in theBritish & Irish Lions tour of Australia.[46]
Genge ismixed race. His father isWhite British[47] and his maternal grandfather isAfrican American. He has stated that he hasWelsh family.[48]
He hasdevelopmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia).[49]
In September 2020, Genge became a father to his first child, a son.[50]
Genge's scrummaging has benefited from the tutelage of veteran internationalsMarcos Ayerza andDan Cole.[17] He is known for his very powerful ball-carrying skills, aggression and work-rate.[5][17]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2019 | St James' Park,Newcastle, England |  Italy | 28–0 | 37–0 | 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches | [35] |
| 2 | 8 February 2020 | Murrayfield Stadium,Edinburgh, Scotland |  Scotland | 8–3 | 13–6 | 2020 Six Nations Championship | [38] |
| 3 | 10 July 2021 | Twickenham Stadium,London, England |  Canada | 40–14 | 70–14 | 2021 July rugby union tests | [41] |
| 4 | 2 July 2022 | Optus Stadium,Perth, Australia |  Australia | 11–9 | 28–30 | 2022 England rugby union tour of Australia | [42] |
| 5 | 12 November 2022 | Twickenham Stadium,London, England |  Japan | 29–6 | 52–13 | 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals | |
| 6 | 4 February 2023 | Twickenham Stadium,London, England | Scotland | 18–12 | 23–29 | 2023 Six Nations Championship |
as of 13 November 2022[update][3]
