As England prepare to face the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, in what will be the start of their 2024 Autumn Nations Series campaign, it is the words of England prop, Joe Marler, that have sparked controversy and stirred the pot ahead of this huge clash.
England’s Men’s rugby sides are making a habit of grabbing the headlines recently, as it was only a few days ago when an intense face-off against their then opposition, Samoa, went viral online. In what was a pre-match stand-off for the ages, Samoa performed their iconic Siva Tau, not to be mistaken for the Haka.
A move performed in both codes of rugby, Samoa’s pre-match ritual was done merely inches from the faces of the England Rugby League players, with an iconic face-off between Samoa’s Chan Kum Tong and England’s Mikey Lewis perfectly encapsulating the seriousness and fearlessness that the sport entails.
A visual that has since gone viral, England went on to win that game 34-18, with both parties of the iconic face-off securing themselves a try on the day. A great moment for the Rugby League side, it is now up to England’s Rugby Union team to step up, as they get set to face off against the third-ranked team in the world, New Zealand.
A match that speaks for itself, the All Blacks and England will forever be a rugby match that grabs the attention of everyone, but more so this time round, as England prop, Joe Marler, took to X to provide the match with a lot of controversy.
What Joe Marler Tweeted About the Haka
It was a post that led to him deactivating for 24 hours
In a tweet that saw him deactivate his account, Marler posted: “The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.” He then went on to say it is only good when the opposition replies, referencing the England League side’s face-off against Samoa.
Having lost 2-0 in a series to New Zealand just this past July, the injured Marler is clearly still hurting, and despite not being in coach Steve Borthwick’s squad, is still trying to contribute in anyway he can. The tweet, which sparked instant outrage, caused Marler to deactivate his X account, but the Harlequins player has since reactivated his account and has attempted to ease tensions, with many taking umbrage with his disrespect of an entire culture.
He tried to explain his post by adding: “Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses,” but with the tweet already out there for all to see, it was a long way back for Marler.
Having injured his foot in the first match of their series against the All Blacks earlier this year, Marler recently returned to action for the Harlequins, as he came off the bench against Saracens. Finding himself still easing back into things, it could be that Marler holds resentment against the side that he was facing when he got injured, or he truly is just trying to stir the pot ahead of a huge clash, something that he is known for.
Joe Marler’s club & country stats (as of 30/10/24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Years | Team | Appearances | Points |
2009-present | Harlequins | 285 | 55 |
2009-2010 | England U20 | 13 | 15 |
2011 | England Saxons | 2 | 0 |
2012-present | England | 95 | 0 |
2019-2022 | Barbarians | 2 | 0 |
This is not Marler’s first controversy surrounding the Haka, having been fined £2,000 for his actions during a 2019 semi-final match against the All Blacks, where he came past the halfway line, something he believed his whole team was going to do.
With his tweet still out there for all to see, all eyes will be on England’s encounter against the All Blacks this Saturday, the 2nd of November, with many looking forward to watching the Haka more than ever.