London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

England rugby player Ellis Genge says he received death threats following Six Nations defeat by Wales

England rugby player Ellis Genge says he received death threats following Six Nations defeat by Wales

England rugby player Ellis Genge says he received death threats after not clapping his Welsh opponents following his side's defeat in the Six Nations.

In rugby, it's tradition for teams to applaud each other after a match as they walk off the pitch.

"Don't know why I'm not clapping in that tunnel must be deep in thought, utmost respect for the Welsh," Genge wrote on Twitter.

"As for keyboard warriors sending death threats etc..." added Genge, referring to the abuse he'd been sent over social media after footage was circulated of the incident.

On Sunday, England Rugby released a statement saying that respect is a "core value" of the sport and that Wales "deserved their victory."

It continued: "Unfortunately, some of the reaction on social media to players and the team has not shown the level of respect the rugby community prides itself on.

"We will support our players and team against online abuse and hope true rugby fans will stand with us."

Twitter did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

This comes after BBC reporter Sonja McLaughlan also revealed that she had received abuse on Twitter following her post-match interviews.


McLaughlan asked England captain Owen Farrell and coach Eddie Jones a number of times about controversial refereeing decisions during his side's 40-24 defeat.

"Toxic, embarrassing, disgraceful, appalling. Just some of the feedback I've had," McLaughlan wrote on Twitter.

"Thanks for using @ sign so it's all hit home. Now imagine getting inundated with abuse for doing your job. In my car crying. Hope you're happy."

In response to the tweet, England Rugby said that "abuse for doing your job is not OK and we stand with you. We will see you for the next one. Hold your head high and know you have our support."

The Six Nations also said that "abuse of public figures or members of the media on social media or anywhere else is not acceptable," while the BBC "strongly condemn(ed)" the abuse sent to McLaughlan and said she "absolutely has our full support."

On Monday, the Welsh Rugby Union said it was "hugely disappointed and saddened by the social media abuse directed at opposition players and members of the media" and that such abuse "has to stop."

Before Saturday's game, which saw Wales secure the Triple Crown after victories against Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations, England coach Eddie Jones had told CNN that social media is "never going to change" and that his coaching staff leave it to individual players to decide how they deal with abusive messages.

Last month, Instagram announced tougher measures to combat online abuse on its platform, including further controls to reduce the abuse people see in their direct messages (DMs).

The platform also told CNN that between July and September 2020, it took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech, including in DMs, 95 percent of which was found before anyone had reported it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×