Autumn Nations Series: Joe Marler apologises for 'poorly articulated' Haka comments before England v New Zealand
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Published 31/10/2024 at 21:28 GMT
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Joe Marler has taken to social media to apologise for his comments on New Zealand's Haka. The loosehead previously stated it should be "binned", calling it "ridiculous". Nonetheless, the Harlequins forward called for a response to be allowed "without sanction" on Saturday. All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson had his say, insisting the pre-match tradition was central to the country's identity.
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Joe Marler has apologised for suggesting the Haka should be “binned” as England gear up to face New Zealand on Saturday.
TNT Sports and discovery+ will show all 21 Autumn Nations Series fixtures, including England’s mouthwatering opener against the All Blacks at Twickenham.
Marler, who left the England camp for personal reasons prior to his controversial post, landed himself in hot water earlier this week when he called the traditional Maori dance “ridiculous”.
But in the face of a stern backlash from many, including New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson, the loosehead has rowed back on his comments, calling them “poorly articulated”.
“Hey rugby fans,” read Marler’s X post on Thursday. “Just wanted to jump on here and say sorry to any New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week.
“I meant no malice in asking for it to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction.
“How good were the Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France ‘07, Tokyo ‘19 or Samoa vs England rugby league responses? Create some entertaining drama before kick-off.”
Former England international Richard Cockerill famously stood face-to-face with the late Norm Hewitt while the hooker performed the Haka in 1997.
More recently, English rugby league half-back Mikey Lewis squared up to Gordon Chan Kum Tong while Samoa executed their Siva Tau war dance last Sunday.
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“My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was s***house and I should have done better at explaining things,” continued Marler’s three-post apology.
“I’m grateful for the education received on how important the Haka is to the New Zealand culture and hope others have a better understanding too.
“Now roll on 3pm on Saturday for a mega rugby occasion. England by 6pts. I’ll get back in my attention-seeking box now. Big Love x”
The Harlequins forward temporarily deactivated his X account after receiving a strong reaction to his original tweet.
“The Haka needs binning. It's ridiculous,“ read Marler’s post that has not yet been deleted.
“It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the [rugby] league boys did last week,” he added in a separate tweet.
When asked about Marler’s comments, All Blacks head coach Robertson said the squad were aware of the controversy but would deal with it “respectfully”.
"I know Joe," said Robertson at New Zealand's team announcement. "I wonder if he wished he could have articulated himself a little bit better on that.
“The Haka for us is a custom. It is part of who we are, it's our DNA. It is not just about the All Blacks, it is about us as a country. It means a lot to us."
"The boys are aware of it. We don't use it as such to say, 'this is what has been said and it's disrespectful'. Especially in this regard, because it has happened before.
“But we will discuss it and decide how we deal with it respectfully."
Captain George hints at Haka response
England team-mate and captain Jamie George called Marler’s comments “not unhelpful”, but admitted that he may have “prodded the bear”.
“It’s classic Joe if I’m honest,” said George in a pre-match press conference. “He’s always been a little bit close to the line with certain social media posts.
“It’s not unhelpful. It’s a conversation that Joe and I actually had the week before; thoughts on it.
“I guess he’s sort of prodded the bear a little bit. We’ve chatted a little bit this week and I just said, ‘cheers mate, thanks very much’.”
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George added that the England senior players would come together to discuss what response, if any, should be given to the pre-match ritual on Saturday.
“We’ll have a little chat about it, myself and some of the senior players, but, yeah, there might be something,” George said.
“I think as long as it’s respectful, yes [responses are a good thing]. If it comes from the right place, yes.
“Taking a step forward for us symbolised that we weren’t going to take a step back, and we welcomed the challenge. I think that you should be entitled to that.”
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