Joe Marler is OUT of the England squad amid call for the Haka to be ‘binned’ – but Harlequins prop’s absence is unrelated to controversial comments
Joe Marler is out of the England squad after claiming that the All Blacks’ famous Haka should be ‘binned’ — but his absence is not related to comments which have caused uproar in New Zealand.
The 34-year-old Harlequins prop left the national team’s training base on Monday for personal reasons and his prospects of a return during the forthcoming Autumn Nations Series are in doubt. At this stage, England head coach Steve Borthwick has not called up another loosehead.
Marler’s withdrawal emerged as a storm raged following his posts on X, formerly Twitter, about the Haka.
On Tuesday night, having already returned home, he wrote: ‘The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.’
Shortly after, he added: ‘It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply.’
Joe Marler had withdrawn from the England camp ahead of sharing his thoughts on the Haka
The prop’s comments on the pre-match requisite have sparked ire in the All Blacks’ camp
World Rugby rules dictate that teams facing a pre-match ‘cultural challenge’ must not advance out of their half. In 2019, before their World Cup semi-final win against the All Blacks, England stood in an arrow formation and Marler crossed the halfway line to eyeball the Kiwis; a move which led to a £2,000 fine.
Having been swamped by abusive messages following his posts, Marler shut down his X account on Tuesday but reactivated it yesterday and wrote: ‘Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun, trying to spark interest in a mega fixture. Some wild responses. Big love.’ He has not been told to delete posts by England — nor will he face any reprimand.
