Wales are ‘damaged’, but dangerous – Genge

Prop Ellis Genge says he is braced for Wales to take out their frustrations on England when the sides meet in their Six Nations openers on Saturday.

Wales have lost 20 of 22 Tests since the 2023 Rugby World Cup while a controversial restructuring of their domestic game continues in the background.

Bookmakers have Wales as rank outsiders for the fixture with odds of 28-1 available on the visitors to Allianz Stadium.

“Sometimes when there is a lot of stuff behind the scenes it can bring you together and, for them, there is no better fixture than England v Wales,” Genge told Rugby Union Weekly.

“Although there has been a bit of turmoil over the last 12 months and a lot of tough discussions behind the scenes, everyone knows that a Wales team who are a bit damaged, coming to Twickenham, is not going to be an easy game by any means.”

New head coach Steve Tandy is coming into his first Six Nations with Wales, having previously overseen Scotland’s defence.

Genge believes a 73-0 thrashing by world champions South Africa at the end of his maiden autumn campaign has obscured some of the progress Wales have already made.

The fixture against the Springboks was staged outside World Rugby’s window for international matches, meaning a clutch of first-choice players were on club duty outside Wales and unavailable to Tandy.

Genge believes Wales’ performance against New Zealand the week before, when they were within three points of the All Blacks on 50 minutes before fading to a 52-26 defeat, is a more accurate indicator of their form.

“You have got to pay them their respect. With a full outfit they were brilliant against New Zealand for 50 or 60 minutes, so they have definitely got it,” he added.

Genge starts at loose-head prop on Saturday, with Bevan Rodd backing him up on the replacements bench. However, injuries to fellow front-rowers Will Stuart, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Fin Baxter have ushered some new faces into the wider England squad.

Bath’s Vilikesa ‘Billy’ Sela and Northampton’s Emmanuel Iyogun, both uncapped, have been called up for the Six Nations.

Twenty-year-old Sela’s rise has been especially rapid.

He was part of England’s under-20 world title win in July 2024, but with South Africa’s Thomas du Toit, Stuart and Wales’ Archie Griffin all tight-head options at Bath, senior action has been hard to come by.

Sela has made three league starts and another two in the Investec Champions Cup this season.

Genge, who made his debut as a 21-year-old against Wales in May 2016, says the new generation of front-row talent are better prepared for the Test game than he was.

“They are big lumps, not like when we were younger,” he said.

“Billy is bigger than me I think – size 15 feet. All the youngsters who come in, they are young, but they are ready.

“I wasn’t ready for Test match rugby until 23, 24, maybe a bit older if I am honest.

“Now the boys come in and they are huge, they are robust, their neck strength is there, they have played a lot of Prem rugby.