Ellis Genge: Adopted Leicester Tiger set to complete his Welford Road journey

Ellis Genge is one of the most authentic men in rugby.

Spend a moment in his time and you’ll get brutal honesty, undying passion and direct answers that will alleviate any wondering that you may have had.

His tenure at Welford Road is almost complete after a seven-year journey that’s seen him transform from a barrelling number eight to one of the world’s finest looseheads, a baby rhino that carries like a battleship, scrummages like a tractor and leads with that authenticity that characterises his person.

When Leicester Tigers meet Northampton Saints in the Premiership semi-final on Saturday, it will be the last time Genge runs out in front of his beloved Welford Road crowd and he understands that it will be an emotional experience.

“It’s a bit daunting, isn’t it?” he admitted.

“For the most part I’ve had a great relationship with the fans – they’re a great set of supporters. We obviously went through that lean patch in 2017/18 where the relationship wasn’t that great as we weren’t performing and they (fairly) put us under a lot of heat.

“But now I feel we’ve come out on the other side and the stadium is really bouncing again and you can really feel that player/fan bond as you walk round. It’s quite personal – you can hear them shouting your name, giving players standing ovations as they come off the pitch and so on.

“Even compared to places I’ve played in internationally Welford Road is up there – it’s a really special place.”

With that one appearance for Leicester at their home ground left, the England loosehead is keen to take the moment in, to remember the things that makes Leicester such a special club and confesses it’s something he’s been playing in his mind over the last few days.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t