Ellis Genge sounds alarm bells over rugby's 'class problem' - as the Bristol and England prop fears pathways are not being created for those outside public school backgrounds

England vice-captain Ellis Genge has raised the alarm about a continuing ‘class problem’ which is hampering the wider development of rugby talent in the country.

The 29-year-old Bristol prop, who grew up in the city’s tough Knowle West neighbourhood, has highlighted the need for greater diversity of opportunities within his sport. Genge fears that not enough is being done to open up development pathways to those outside privileged public school backgrounds.

‘Rugby union has definitely got a class problem,’ he told Simon Jordan, on William Hill’s Up Front podcast. ‘I’ve seen it first-hand over the years, from when I started going to trials. At a younger age, which kids miss out on becoming a professional rugby player is massively dependant on the class divide in the sport – and I’m strictly talking a financial divide here.

‘If you’re a nice enough bloke and don’t cause any problems, you’re going to get a chance. When talking about all the kit you need to buy, the hours you need to drive to go to all the schools and rugby festivals, ultimately, the private schools have the best facilities and the best coaches. They’re going to produce better talent – and I get that.

‘But, athletically and in terms of raw talent, I know where that is. The kids with raw talent and aggression, that are hungry to get out of where they’re from, I know where that is and that’s in those deprived areas. That’s what it all whittles down to – money.’

Genge has been a poster-boy for the RFU in their desire to portray English rugby as more diverse and inclusive in the modern era – especially when he was named captain of the national team in last year’s Six Nations clash with France at Twickenham. But his concern is that a lack of grass-roots funding means that there continues to be an opportunities gulf between the haves and have-nots.

‘To be honest, I think the sport has been quite openly on it’s a*** for a while now, especially in the financial department,’ he said. ‘So if they haven’t got the money to build on the infrastructure and the resources at the bottom of the game, then it’ll be a challenge to overcome the divide.

‘I don’t think we need to make a big song and dance about under-representation within the sport, I just think there should be equal opportunity at both ends of spectrum, whether you’ve got a load of money to start with or f*** all; let’s look at both sides of the coin. 

'It’s not about gearing everything towards these private schools to find the talent, it should be about going to the deprived areas as well and try and find talent there. That’s where you find the diamonds in the rough.’

In France, the rugby establishment has had success with attempts to tap into latent talent within under-privileged and multi-cultural inner-city communities, whereas there has not been the same progress in England. 

Genge compared the situation unfavourably to the system in football here, saying: ‘In football, you see kids getting signed up at eight, nine and 10 years old, because the talent and the infrastructure is (there in) grass-roots and they know if there’s a good player. 

‘In rugby, however, and I use Alex Dombrandt as an example, he signed his first professional contract when he finished university at 22, and he’s one of the best No 8s in the Premiership. 

'The pathways between the two sports are very different, the talent identification isn’t there in rugby, I don’t think the biggest talents in football had to go to university and get scouted there and do it the hard way.

'The infrastructure in rugby at the bottom of the game needs a lot of work and funding.’