Rugby should relish animosity and aggression - Genge

Quilter Nations Series: England v Fiji

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 8 November Kick-off: 17:40 GMT

Coverage: Live on Radio 5 Sports Extra; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app

England prop Ellis Genge says rugby's confrontations and physicality are a key to its appeal now "society has gone quite soft".

Genge, who will be England's starting captain against Fiji on Saturday, was at the centre of an injury-time tussle that drew in most of the two teams in last weekend's win over Australia.

"It was just a bit of a squabbling. We can't whack anyone anymore. So, yeah, just a bit of argy-bargy," he told Rugby Union Weekly.

"I enjoy the animosity of rugby. I enjoy that we're an abrasive sport.

"I think we should relish it as opposed to shy away from it.

"Society nowadays probably enjoys coming to watch us play because I feel that society's gone quite soft if I'm being honest."

The view of Genge, who has played with images of legendary heavyweight boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali painted on his boots in the past, chimes with others in English rugby.

The Prem – England's domestic top flight – unapologetically celebrates big hits and aggression as part of a rebrand of the league this season.

Genge says he finds one of the hardest things about modern rugby is the demands that it makes on his family life.

After spending six weeks on tour with the British and Irish Lions over the summer, the 30-year-old father of three had mixed feelings about returning to the England camp for the autumn internationals.

"It's been good, but I'd be lying to you if I said I haven't struggled," he said.

"It's quite daunting really. I don't like leaving them [family] at home anymore.

"I said to Joe Marler [former England prop who retired from international rugby at the age of 28 to spend more time with his family before returning to the Test scene] the other day, 'I actually understand why you packed it in a few times, because it's difficult, packing up and leaving, packing up and leaving'.

"It's been tough, but in the same breath, I always say to my missus, if I'm here, I'm all in. You've got to be unapologetically committed to the situation."

With usual captain Maro Itoje on the bench, the meeting with Fiji will mark Genge's third time leading England.

His first was a record home defeat – the 53-10 mauling by France in March 2023 – and his second was a 20-9 loss to Wales in a World Cup warm-up five months later.

"Yeah, record-breaker," Genge joked when his games as captain were brought up.

"I think the team grew, not that we did it on purpose. But the moments that we had in those horrible times, like the defeat by France at Twickenham, actually was a bit of a leapfrog for us."

Genge, whose teamtalks were a feature of the behind-the-scenes footage from the Lions tour, says he focuses on motivating his team-mates through both words and action.

"I'm not much of a tactician. I appreciate that side of the game, but you wouldn't ask monkeys to swim and fish to climb trees," he said.

"So I'm not going to sit there with a whiteboard and tell everyone how to play the game. I'm good at the emotional and the physical side of the game. So I'll stick to that."

England coach Steve Borthwick says there are few better in that regard.

"Ellis has an unbelievable ability to give a message worth a thousand words with just a facial expression or with a look," said Borthwick.

"He's a proud man, a fantastic bloke, brilliant rugby player and an outstanding leader. If I was still playing, he's the kind of guy you would follow and want to lead you out."