Richard Cockerill had one piece of advice for fiery prop Ellis Genge when he brought him to Leicester on loan from Bristol almost a year ago. “He told me that he would rather I was pulled out of a fight than pushed into one,” said Genge, capped by Eddie Jones only two months later despite having played only 121 minutes in the Premiership. “I’m not saying that I am going to fight people but it is much better to be told to calm down than to have to perk up a bit.”

Genge, who was wayward in his Bristol youth and in trouble with the law on a few occasions, has a sharp way with words, too. The story at Leicester is that Cockerill, who saw in Genge a player cut in his own tempestuous image, jokingly challenged the young prop to a fight. Back came the reply: “Fine, but who will coach the team this afternoon?”

Whether true or not, the tale reflects the liveliness, the self-assurance and the sense of mischief in the 21-year-old who was a surprise call-up to the depleted England squad for last May’s pre-Australia-tour game against Wales and then an equally surprising omission from the latest Elite Player Squad.