England prop Ellis Genge prior to the Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham on 7 March 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
- England prop Ellis Genge claims players and head coach Eddie Jones were racially abused during a three-Test tour to South Africa in 2018.
- Matches were played at Ellis Park, Free State Stadium and Newlands but Genge did not state where the incident took place.
- He has also called rugby a “white man’s game” and wants to see more black coaches involved.
England prop Ellis Genge claims “ethnic players” and coach Eddie Jones were racially abused during a tour of South Africa in 2018.
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In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the 25-year-old said the incident took place after one of the three Tests but did not specify where.
The Springboks won the first Test 42-39 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and clinched the series with a 23-12 win at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. England won the final Test 25-10 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Tuesday’s interview came after the destruction of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, where Genge grew up in England’s south-west, and followed comments from Manchester City football star Raheem Sterling that more black representation was needed in the game.
“When we went on the South African tour in 2018 I remember after a game we were walking through one of the tunnels and they started hurling racist abuse at myself and a few of the other ethnic boys and Eddie himself,” Genge said.
“It is still very rife, especially in sport. Look, you can’t control that yourself, you just sort of need to put the message out there. Like Raheem Sterling said, if you have got a platform, you can use it. It’s something that needs to be stamped out.”
Genge, who has played 18 Tests for England, also wants to see more black coaches in rugby.
“The issue with rugby is that it’s been a white man’s game for a number of years and there’s not really any black coaches or ethnic coaches especially over here in England. I’d love to see black coaches thriving in this game.”
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
