Before the Rugby World Cup semifinal, an England star names two “villains”

In Saturday’s Rugby World Cup match against South Africa, England prop Ellis Genge asserts that two teammates will be considered as ‘villains’.

With a desired berth in the final at risk, the 28-year-old aims to utilize any unfavorable publicity surrounding the England camp as fuel to defeat the Springboks.

On Sunday, when the Red Rose defeated Fiji in a tightly contested quarterfinal, Genge was chosen from the start. When England plays South Africa this weekend, the odds will be stacked against them because the Springboks are currently favorites to win a second straight world championship.

Bristol Bears player Genge stated that when the game begins, fans around the world will be rooting against England, and he said that seasoned players like Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell will be considered as “villains.”

“I quite like the noise and having our backs up against the wall, with everyone wanting us to lose,” Genge said.

“I actually enjoy the commotion and having our backs to the wall and everyone rooting for us to lose.

That probably gives me some energy. Others would probably benefit more from ignoring it. You can see some of the best players of their generation, people like Courts [Courtney Lawes], and people with 300 caps between three players, which is crazy.

“At the moment, they’re probably the bad guys since everyone despises them. Even if Faz [Owen Farrell] receives a lot of criticism, you are always glad to have him on the team.

When England defeated Fiji 28-24 to secure their place in the semifinals, there were just six points left in the game. Even more nerve-wracking was South Africa’s path to the last four: in what many considered to be the match of the tournament, they defeated high-flying France by a single point.

The 44-year-old England manager Borthwick has stated that the players’ big-game attitude could lead to an upset at Stade de France because he is loving the underdog label applied to his team over the past few weeks.

“The players were written off,” he claimed. “Many people predicted that we wouldn’t exit the pool. We exited the pool, and we are now exiting the quarterfinal.

“These players now have a chance to compete in the semifinal in Paris. These players step up even though I’m sure we’ll be written off again.