DAMNED IF WE DO... DAMNED IF WE DON'T

Genge finds criticism hard to stomach

- By Adam Hathaway

ELLIS GENGE fears England cannot win - even after finally kicking their losing habit of last year.

"It's like damned if you do, damned if you don't," said the prop.

It might be a rest weekend in the Six Nations but all eyes in the England camp are firmly on the visit of Italy a week tomorrow, knowing they are back in the race to lift the title after their Calcutta Cup triumph against Scotland.

Amazingly, 15 of the past 19 matches involving Steve Borthwick's men have finished within a one-score winning margin, with England falling on the wrong side of that six times in the past 12 months.

In all, they lost seven out of 12 games in 2024, including three defeats against New Zealand by a combined 10 points, a 33-31 reverse to France and a 42-37 loss to Australia.

They have since roared back with one-point wins against France and Scotland in successive rounds of the Six Nations.

But they were booed by fans during the Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham, where they beat the Scots 16-15.