Ellis Genge is well aware that Japan’s head coach Eddie Jones will relish his role as the pantomime villain when he aims to orchestrate a victory over England at Twickenham on Sunday – but says he is “a good bloke”.
The former England coach is returning to face his old team for the first time since his dismissal in 2022, amidst a swirl of controversy over allegations concerning his management style during his seven-year tenure.
Earlier this month, ex-England scrum-half Danny Care condemned the atmosphere Jones fostered as “toxic” and likened his rule to “living in a dictatorship”.
Having been jeered by spectators at last year’s World Cup while coaching Australia, Jones might receive a frosty reception from the English crowd this weekend, but Genge suspects Jones will revel in the antagonism.
“I like the bloke. He was always… not always actually, he wasn’t always nice to me, but we’ve got a good relationship,” Genge, who earned his international cap under Jones in 2016, admitted.
“He’s a master of the psychological part of player development and man management. Sometimes he gets it wrong. There have been some nightmare stories of late about him. But he’s a good bloke, man. He’s a good guy.
“I can’t imagine he’s going to get a cheer when he goes on camera, but he’ll love that part of it. He’ll relish it. It will all be part of the day for him.
“He will probably have a few trick plays up his sleeve and knowing Eddie he will probably take the game very personally, which I love about him.
“He will have them fired up and you saw what he did with his Japan side in 2015 that beat South Africa in Brighton.
“He’s a brilliant coach and Japan are developing as a nation in terms of their rugby. They have improved so much. You have got to have your wits about you for sure.”
Genge has warned that the national team must be on high alert when they face Japan, reflecting on the remarkable upset the Brave Blossoms achieved against South Africa in the 2015 World Cup.
Despite England’s recent losses to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa this autumn, Genge remains optimistic, noting: “It’s 0 and 3 so in terms of appraisals it’s not a very good one, but we’ve seen progress as a team.
“Not necessarily in results, but definitely in trends and behaviours of how we’re operating as a squad. It’s been good for us – we’ve tested ourselves against the best in the world and we’ve run them all very, very close.
“Everyone can look us in the eyes and say we should probably have won a few of those games. But the bottom line is we haven’t won a game yet.
“It would be nice to finish on a win. That’s what you go out to do in every game. But it’s not going to eradicate previous results.”
