In a curious turn of events, England’s prop Ellis Genge found himself in the spotlight for an unusual collision with his own teammate during the match against Scotland.
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At the eight-minute mark of the second half, referee Andrew Brace took a closer look at the incident, ultimately deciding against penalizing Genge as the collision involved his own teammate.
Opinions among spectators diverged sharply. One fervent supporter expressed immediate disapproval, labeling the action as “idiotic.” Another echoed this sentiment, criticizing the technique used in the collision as “monumentally stupid.”
A supporter’s opinion captured the prevailing sentiment: “As an England lad, I instantly thought ‘that’s fucking idiotic.” Upon review, I’d amend my original statement to conclude ‘that’s fucking idiotic.'”
“Why would you ever hit a ruck with your arm tucked like that. Irrelevant of anything else that is monumentally stupid,” remarked another.
However, amidst the criticism, some rallied to Genge’s defense. “It looks like he’s trying shove Chessum forward to clear out. Much ado about nothing. The TMO basically says as much. But hey, it’s Genge so let’s clip it and microanalyse to death. It’s a yearly tradition at this point,” commented a supporter, highlighting the perceived overreaction to the incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, debate rages on, with supporters and critics alike weighing in on the peculiar moment in the match.
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Zach Mercer
Mercer, has declared that he’s taking a break from England duty for the time being, expressing his disappointment at being excluded from the upcoming Six Nations Championship squad.
Mercer said: “I’ve been open with Steve, I’ve told him my opinions on it. I thought I haven’t really been given a crack which is what I feel like, to not even be given a game to try and prove myself is tough.
“I just don’t feel like he values what I can offer as a player and that’s me being honest, I don’t think he values what I can bring.
“Obviously I don’t fit into the system that he wants to run and, whether I agree with that or not, it is what it is.
“My focus now is on Gloucester and England can take a step aside for the moment.”
Borthwick response:
“Zach and I had a conversation last week. We’ve had a number of conversations over the last couple of weeks with Zach since he’s come back from injury.
“We’ve highlighted areas where players have done well and the areas where they bring a point of difference. It’s a competitive arena.
“And [we highlight] areas where we want them to develop them and add to their game. That’s the same conversation I had with Zach.
“When I’m talking to a player, I’m basing it in objectivity. I’m basing it on targets for them to go after, and then we can shape a shared understanding of what we’re seeing.
“Granted, sometimes as a coach you want something specific in a team, I’m always looking at all the coaches and all the players that are able to provide that.”