SOMETIMES being in a backs-to-the-wall bubble can work for a team under pressure, but at other times ‘group-think’ can become an echo chamber of unreality. Ellis Genge’s post-match team address as England vice-captain after they had been trounced 45-21 by South Africa last weekend was an example of the latter.
As the team formed a circle on the pitch at Ellis Park it was being filmed for an “O2 Inside Line” documentary. These days some players are savvy about when they are ‘on set’, and there’s little doubt that the vice-captain knew the cameras were rolling. Making off-the-cuff speeches is ne...