Ellis Genge to lead England for first time with encouragement from early mentor

Ellis Genge will lead England for the first time against France on Saturday lifted by praise from an early mentor for shackling his wilder instincts.

Owen Farrell’s demotion to the bench for the Guinness Six Nations title showdown at Twickenham has resulted in Genge being installed as captain, continuing his rise from Bristol council estate to the most prestigious role in the English game.

The 28-year-old first made any impression when he left Ashton Gate for Leicester in 2016, coming under the guidance of the Tigers’ director of rugby Richard Cockerill, who now oversees England’s scrum.

As a belligerent rookie, unafraid to take on all comers, the challenge facing Cockerill was ensuring the marauding prop kept his ferocity in check.

“At that point I was just happy to keep him out of trouble!” Cockerill joked when asked if he had spotted his potential to become England skipper.

“A few months into him being at Leicester, we’d just had a forwards meeting and were in a bit of jovial mood and I said ‘Gengey, do you want a fight?’ And he went, ‘who’s going to coach the session’?

“Ellis is great fun and as long as he keeps that sense of humour in what he’s doing, he’ll go from strength to strength.

“He was a really aggressive young man, young player, with a lot of natural ability who just needed a lit bit of guidance in how to channel it.

.@EnglandRugby's team for Le Crunch