English rugby must follow feisty Ellis Genge's lead to see off rebel league

Telegraph

14 hours ago

To think that there are those who wish to rip up the club rugby blueprint and toss it into a smouldering inferno. All that can be said with certainty – in the middle of one of the edgiest and engrossing Premiership semi-finals in memory – is that none of rugby's self-proclaimed disruptors could have been present at the Rec on Friday night.
Because Bath's second-half demolition of their arch-rivals Bristol was everything that confected, artificial sport – the kind which is bought by money and not emotion – is not: it was frenetic, parochial and, at times, down right anarchic.
It was everything that sport should be. West Country rivals, knockout sport, with home-grown heroes and villains, in front of a packed house, with fans putting that very word into 'fanatical'. At times, some of the crowd's celebrating, even for something as mundane, bordered on maniacal. This was heritage, tradition – atavism, even – and pride writ large in as memorable and poignant an advert for Premiership rugby as there has been this season.
But, most importantly, it was real – and people cared. It meant something – to two of England's most regal rugby cities. And, if sport gets to a stage where people do not care, then what is the point? One would think that the organisers of R360, rugby's latest breakaway attempt, might understand that, given that one of the protagonists, Mike Tindall, wore the Blue, Black and White on over 100 occasions.
R360 just cannot claim to be able to replicate what took place in Bath on Friday night and, even if they were to make such an outlandish claim, why would anyone want to leave it? Is the draw so alluring that these Bath men would sacrifice nights like Friday in favour of contrived teams playing in contrived causes? No amount of money could replace the Rec roar which engulfed Joe Cokanasiga after scoring the decisive second-half try; or the chorus of 'Come on You Bath', all in unison, which followed. Bath Rugby was founded in 1865 – and on Friday night it felt as though the crowd had over 150 years of history behind them.
It must be noted that Ellis Genge played his part, too. The great Bristolian was in fine form, admittedly in a losing cause, in both tight and loose, but it was the looseness of his lips that was most striking. The game had not even begun when the loosehead entered into some verbals with the Bath crowd; then came some on-field verbals for which he was penalised but thereafter he was immense in both pantomime villain and all-court forward.
🎙️ "This is what we need isn't it?"
Ellis Genge has a word with the home fans at The Rec as the two teams make their way onto the field for a hotly contested derby.
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With characters like Genge – as long as there are more coming through, like Henry Pollock, who are willing to embrace the niggle and rage against the machine, then the Premiership is in good hands. Even Finn Russell got in on the act at the end, and it looked as though he and Bristol centre James Williams might come to blows as the Lions fly-half left the field with four minutes to play.
The league undoubtedly has its issues. There are too many stale matches, too many dead-rubbers, with not enough spice. Some clubs struggle to regularly fill their stadiums and others are in dire need of investment. But, on Friday night, the woes of 2022/23, the season in which three sides went to the wall, felt as though it had been consigned to history.
The match provided the most judicious reminder, too, that tries in this sport do not always equal entertainment. Bath opened the Bristol floodgates in the second half but by then the fixture was already a game-of-the-season contender, and only once had the whitewash been breached. The first-half score, by James Dun, was a sweet one; but a sole one it was.
The doom-mongers will gleefully highlight that Friday night was just one game among so many in a season, and one swallow does not a summer make, but here was a glimpse of the Premiership's potential: at times brutal, at times beautiful, always meaningful. It might not be there yet, but if this is to be its ceiling, then it is a high one.
With all the talk of breakaways and disruption, the future is bright. Perhaps a rethink – an R180, if you will – is needed.