Lions star credits former football hooligan with changing his life
British and Irish Lions star Ellis Genge was heading down the wrong path before former Bristol City football hooligan Lloyd Russell stepped in to mentor him
Ellis Genge admitted he could've ended up in prison before rugby 'saved him'. Last week, the England prop received his first British and Irish Lions call up for this summer's tour to Australia.
But Genge's life could've turned out completely differently. The 30-year-old, who hails from a council estate in Knowle, Bristol, was heading down the wrong path as a youngster before rugby offered him a lifeline.
After being arrested a number of times, Bristol Bears star Genge admits he could've ended up behind bars if he didn't clean up his act and get himself on the straight and narrow.
That's where Lloyd Russell comes in. The son of the Windrush generation, Russell was the first black child at his school and learned how to fight for survival.
He then got involved with Bristol City FC's hooligan element and subsequently found himself in trouble with the police.
However, Russell turned the negative into a positive and channelled his energy in martial arts, going on to represent England in karate before eventually taking a role mentoring troubled youths.
Genge told The Daily Telegraph: 'I was being threatened with being kicked out of school and that's when he came in. He was from a similar background to most of the boys that he looked after. He came in and changed it around.
'He is around the same age as my grandad, who went to prison when I was younger. He used to say to me, 'Don't end up like that. I know where you have come from and what you have got going on, so don't end up like those people. Keep your family close'.
The rest is history as Genge went on to forge a successful career in the game and become a regular for club and country before being rewarded with a well-deserved spot in Andy Farrell's 38-man Lions squad.
Genge and Russell were reunited as part of the Gallagher Touchline Academy. The insurance broker, in partnership with Premiership Rugby, aim to get more children from state schools access to the game of rugby.
The academy is an accessible rugby teaching programme designed to upskill 2,000 teachers by 2028.
Genge said: 'I know first-hand how important a teacher can be in steering you onto the right path when you are young and impressionable.
"I could so easily have fallen astray if it wasn't for the guidance and education that I received from my rugby teachers during my teenage years.
"Rugby gave me a sense of purpose and I am so grateful for the opportunities it has given me. That is why I'm proud to support the Gallagher Touchline Academy.'
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