England prop Ellis Genge insists his notoriety is undeserved as he warns the USA and Canada that any attempt at provocation is a waste of their energy.

Genge is a contender to be named captain for the Tests at Twickenham over the next two weekends after being thrust into a leadership role in the absence of Eddie Jones' Lions and a number of rested senior players.

On multiple occasions as a teenager the confrontational 26-year-old nicknamed 'Baby Rhino' was arrested and released without charge, but he points to an unblemished disciplinary record as evidence he is in control of his emotions.

But Genge said: "The label does bother me a little bit, though not as much as it used to. It falls on deaf ears. It's a misconception.

"I guess it's relatively easy to accumulate that data and all the stories about me from the past and paint that picture, especially for people who don't follow my career as closely as they follow their own team's.

"If you go on social media it's 'he's still hot-headed, too much of a liability'. It makes me laugh a bit as I've never had yellows or reds for those sorts of things they're talking about."