Ellis Genge ruled out of Bristol's final game but fit for England's Nations Championship opener

Ellis Genge will play no part in Bristol Bears’ final Premiership fixture at Sale Sharks on Saturday after sustaining a calf injury during last weekend’s win over Bath, head coach Pat Lam has confirmed. Scans have cleared the England loosehead of serious damage, and Lam expects him to be fit for England’s first training camp ahead of the Nations Championship.

Genge, who has made 26 appearances for club and country this season, is targeting England’s Nations Championship opener against back-to-back World Cup winners South Africa at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on 4 July.

“He has had a scan, so I think at this stage it might only be two or three weeks, you know, at most,” Lam said. “Initially, there was a concern, but the scans and both medical teams are on top of it. So I expect him to be at the next England camp.”

Lam was full of praise for Genge’s contribution throughout the campaign. “He has been phenomenal. When you look at history, a lot of the Lions boys struggle either physically or mentally when they come back from a tour. Ellis came back, and his form was outstanding. It’s been one of his best years for us. He’s played a lot of games, but he’s also been well rested at different times, and he’s had a great season.”

Genge is not the only absentee heading into the Sale fixture. Flanker Fitz Harding has been ruled out after breaking his hand in the Bath match — an injury Lam revealed occurred as early as the tenth minute. “We were prepared to take him off, and he wouldn’t come off, and you wouldn’t have known he had broken his hand from his performance,” Lam said. “He had an X-ray, and they confirmed he has broken his hand. He’s in recovery mode there, but he’s been helping the boys this week.”

Prop Santi Grondona and George Kloska are also unavailable after both failing head injury assessments against Bath, leaving Bristol with a depleted squad for the trip to the North West.