Ellis Genge reveals Steve Borthwick ‘took some persuading’ to allow Netflix’s cameras to film England for the upcoming documentary ‘Full Contact’… as loose-head prop admits rugby ‘needs all the help it can get’

Ellis Genge has highlighted the importance of Netflix’s new rugby docu-series Full contact and the ability it has to raise the profile of the sport.

The show will premiere globally on Wednesday, February 24 and will bring fans closer to some of the game’s stars by offering a behind-the-scenes look at the 2022 Guinness Six Nations.

The Bristol prop also joked that Steve Borthwick ‘needed some persuasion’ to get camera crews to follow England at the tournament.

“We don’t let them (camera crews) into meetings and reveal all our secrets, so things like that,” he said at the meeting. Full contact premiered last week.

‘But we try to be as accommodating as possible. ‘Steve (Borthwick) is not a big fan. It took some persuasion.’

Genge also gave a positive update on his fitness, stating that he hoped to return to play in Bristol’s match against Bath on Saturday after being ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

He stated that rugby should follow sports such as UFC and boxing, which have grown exponentially in recent years

Concerns have been raised recently about the popularity and growth of rugby, especially after Worcester, Wasps and London Irish all collapsed in the last eighteen months, leaving England’s top flight with just ten teams.

But the 28-year-old believes rugby should take a leaf out of the UFC’s book and make use of the ‘great networks’ available to do so.

He joked: ‘It (‘Full Contact’) could make a big difference to me – hopefully I won’t have to pay £18 a month anymore!’

“But look, it’s incredible to have big names like (Netflix working on the series). Obviously Amazon also had a brief involvement, but seeing rugby on streaming platforms is class.

‘I think we’re in a bit of a bubble. I think we can all agree that rugby thinks it’s ‘the be all and end all’, but it’s not. There are huge events like the UFC and boxing. All these glasses.

‘And ultimately you need help to take the game to the next level. The UFC was probably in a similar position to us, maybe 15-17 years ago, and they’re using all these great networks to take this to the next level. So hopefully we can do the same.’

But there is a lot of optimism Full contact can help bring rugby to new audiences around the world and raise the profile of the sport Drive to survive And Full swing has done with Formula 1 and golf.

“It (rugby) needs everything, doesn’t it,” Genge said of the eight-part series. “It needs all the help it can get, as blunt as you can be. It needs stars, it needs idols, it needs everything.”

While there is still a way for rugby to overtake other sports, changes have been made in recent years to bring the sport to a wider audience.

In 2022, England and Scotland opted to print player names on the back of their jerseys, hoping to help new or casual fans identify key players more easily.

He joked that England boss Steve Borthwick ‘needed some persuasion’ to get Netflix’s camera crew to follow his team

Genge was included in Borthwick’s 36-man training squad for the upcoming Six Nations campaign

And as rugby hopes to grow its viewership, this was reported earlier in January by The Telegraph that all teams in this year’s Six Nations will have player names on the back of their jerseys.

But as Genge says, increasing players’ individual profiles can also help raise awareness of the sport.

“You look at other sports that people follow,” Genge added. “The NFL, NBA, football are all huge, huge sports, even cricket, like they follow the individual and not necessarily just follow the team.

‘You have your team supporting you, but everyone knows what (Cristiano) Ronaldo does, everyone knows what (Lionel) Messi does.

“I don’t even watch NFL, I don’t know any team. But I know the players.

‘Are we going to get there? “I don’t know, we’ll find out,” he added.