Ellis Genge (Image: Getty)
Ellis Genge admits he is confused and fears England can’t win after finally kicking their losing habit of last year.
Fifteen of Steve Borthwick’s side’s last 19 games have finished in a one-score winning margin with the Red Rosers consistently falling on the wrong side in 2024.
Then they lost seven out of 12 including three defeats to New Zealand by a total 10 points, a 33-31 reverse to France and a 42-37 loss to Australia.
All of sudden, against France and Scotland, they have won by a point in successive rounds of the Six Nations but were booed by fans at points in the Scots clash.
World Cup winner Will Greenwood slammed England’s attack after last Saturday’s 16-15 Calcutta Cup win that ended five years of misery against Finn Russell.
And prop Genge reckons there is no pleasing some people who won’t sing when England are winning.
The 30-year-old and vice-captain said: “It’s like, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We lost Australia by five points in the autumn, everyone was like, ‘brilliant, brilliant. Look how they move the ball – 37 points they scored’.
“But we lost. So who gives a f**k? You lost the game. Do you want to be part of a team that wins every single game by one point? Yeah. Would you still look at it negatively then?
Ellis Genge helped England beat Scotland by one point (Image: Getty)
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“Or would you rather be part of a team that loses every single week, 40 points to 39. I know what type of team I want to be in.
“People who know, know. I understand from a fans’ perspective, you want to see us coming up with back-door off-loads and no-look chip-and-chases. But it doesn’t win Test matches.
“It is difficult as a player to digest the fact people were disappointed that we just won the Calcutta Cup back after five years. We won the game and people are still upset about it. It blew my mind to be honest. It feels like we can’t win.
“I’m confused. We’ve won our past two games, and apparently we should have lost them. Let me know when we should start winning.”
Adding to Genge’s confusion is the fact that South Africa were lauded for winning the last World Cup with three single point wins in the knockout stages including a derailing of England in the semi-final.
Genge plays club rugby for Bristol who are the kings of running rugby in the Premiership but believes that is miles away from what is needed in Tests.
He added: “What was the score in the semi final? 16-15. Did anyone slag them off?
“Sometimes the game is ugly. In the last three games we haven’t thrown the ball about and done what the fans want to see every week, but that is Test rugby. If you want to see that, come to Ashton Gate. If you want to see some mental rugby, that’s where you find it.’
“At Bristol, two years ago, you had Semi Radradra playing against people who had been pulled in from universities. At Test level you haven’t got that, so you don’t have as much time and space. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it, but they’re not, are they?”
England, who trained in York this week, meet up in Bagshot on Monday ahead of next Sunday’s Italy clash.