Ellis Genge has apologized to his Leicester team-mates and head coach Steve Borthwick after being sentenced in the Tigers’ Premiership loss Gallagher to Wasps.
The Leicester captain was given a yellow card following an incident when he pushed his hand to Francois Hougaard’s face and appeared to pull the Wasps player’s hair.
The Tigers’ 16-13 loss on Sunday was their first loss this season, ending a streak of 11 straight Premiership wins.
𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓-𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐓
Ellis Genge spoke to 𝗟𝗧𝗧𝗩 after the loss to Wasps in Coventry – his 100th appearance for Leicester Tigers.#WASvLEI 🐯 #COYT ??
– Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) January 9, 2022
Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell, meanwhile, received a yellow card earlier in the first half for a tackle out of the ball.
“It potentially cost us the game, being reduced to 14 men for this time,” said England mainstay Genge, who was making his 100th appearance for Leicester.
“I think mine was an isolated incident where I lost my mind for a split second on the back of someone doing something to me. Tommy was he who was working to come back to do a test tackle. There was a big difference between the two.
“I apologized to the boys for letting them down, I apologized to Steve.
“It’s something I can’t promise not to do over again, but it’s one of those, you lose your mind in the heat of the moment.”
“I don’t have a bad discipline record. I have never received a red card in professional play. I think I’ve had about four yellows in my professional career so I guess that answers all of your questions on that.
“For some reason I have this weird perception that I have bad discipline, I’m sprinkled online about it. It fits in one ear and leaves through the other. I feel like I’ve probably let myself down.
“I’m usually the one receiving the reaction, rather than giving a reaction. It’s a learning lesson for me, to be on the other side of the coin where I lost my mind in a split second.
“I’ve seen a lot of people say that I tried to cheat him (Hougaard), which is absolutely ridiculous. I would never have even thought of doing something like this. It’s disgusting.
“I lost my mind, I pushed him in the face a bit, I’ll learn from it. I said sorry to the boys, I said sorry to Steve, and we move on.
Borthwick has appointed Genge as skipper this season and he has played a pivotal role in helping Leicester reach the midpoint of the Championship campaign with an eight-point lead at the top of the Premiership.
The Tigers also won their first two Heineken Champions Cup games last month and they look well on their way to a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Borthwick said: “He (Genge) is great to be able to connect people – whether you’re an 18 year old coming out of academy with someone with over 100 caps, he can connect everyone together.
“If you’ve got someone who works hard, who’s brilliant with people, and who plays really well, they’re an incredibly powerful leader.
“From my perspective, the time I spent with Ellis, he’s been great.
“He thinks calmly and is able to give clear instructions. He has become a leading international player.
