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England mainstay Ellis Genge has said he has received death threats after video surfaced online of him not applauding Wales in the tunnel after their Six Nations victory over Eddie Jones’ team on Saturday, which promptly prompted the Rugby Football Union to issue a statement of conviction. online abuse and criticizing the lack of respect towards England players.
Genge, who came off the bench during England’s 40-24 loss, posted on Twitter Sunday night to explain why he stood still as his teammates cheered Wales back to the locker room.
The 26-year-old entered the field with the match in the balance in the 67th minute, only for Wales to clear it, and looked understandably dejected after the match. He posted on Twitter: “I don’t know why I’m not clapping in that tunnel, I must be deep in thought, with the utmost respect for the Welsh. As for the keyboard warriors sending death threats etc. His tweet was accompanied by a clip of UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov saying ‘send me location’.
Shortly thereafter, the RFU issued a damning statement saying: “Respect is a fundamental value of rugby. Yesterday we lost to Wales who deserved their victory. Unfortunately, some of the reaction on social media towards the players and the team has not shown the level of respect that the rugby community prides itself on. We will support our players and team against online abuse and we hope that true rugby fans will support us. “
Just hours earlier, the RFU had issued a statement in response to the abuse suffered by BBC reporter Sonja McLaughlan following her on-court interviews in the immediate aftermath of Wales’ victory. And earlier this month, the government called on social media companies to act, warning that penalties could be introduced if they fail to do so with dozens of footballers who are also abused online.
The Guardian columnist and former England international Ugo Monye on Sunday night echoed those sentiments in response to Genge’s tweet, posting: “Social media is stepping up. @Twitter is no longer good enough. “
