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What Jamie George said to Joe Marler over anti-Haka comments

By PA
Jamie George (R) talks to Joe Marler during the England training session held at Pennyhill Park on August 21, 2023 in Bagshot, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

England captain Jamie George fears Joe Marler has provoked New Zealand by calling for the Haka to be scrapped ahead of Saturday’s clash at Allianz Stadium.

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George believes Marler has “prodded the bear” after writing on the social media site X on Tuesday night that “The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.”

Marler will not face the All Blacks in the autumn opener after leaving camp on Monday morning for personal reasons and it is doubtful if he will play a part in any of the remaining fixtures against Australia, South Africa and Japan.

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In an unexpected twist, it has emerged that the 34-year-old prop had still made himself available against New Zealand in the event that either starting loosehead Ellis Genge or replacement Fin Baxter were ruled out.

England had initially agreed for him to be on standby only to then put Trevor Davison on notice that he will act as emergency cover in the unlikely event Genge or Baxter become unavailable.

Marler’s comments on the Maori war dance drew a furious backlash in New Zealand, while All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson on Thursday reacted by calling it a “great tradition of rugby”, adding that the Harlequin should have chosen his words more carefully.

George does not share the view of his controversial front-row colleague, who he suspects has provided the 2023 World Cup runners-up with extra motivation.

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“The Haka was always something I enjoyed watching growing up as a big rugby fan and I’ve been lucky enough to face it a few times. I love the history of it,” George said.

“Joe and I, we don’t always agree on everything, so we disagree on this certain topic. It’s classic Joe if I’m honest.

“He’s always been a little bit close to the line with certain social media posts so nothing comes as a surprise with him. We’ve chatted a little bit this week and I just said, ‘cheers mate, thanks very much!’.

“It’s a conversation that Joe and I actually had the week before – thoughts on the Haka, what can we do back to it, all that kind of thing. I guess he’s prodded the bear a little bit.”

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England are planning a possible response to the All Blacks’ famous pre-match ritual as they seek their first win in the fixture at Twickenham since 2012.

Eddie Jones’ England took on the Haka before their stunning 2019 World Cup semi-final victory by adopting a V-shape formation. Robertson described it as an “awesome” way to face down the war dance.

“We’ll have a little chat about it, myself and some of the senior players. But yes, there might be something,” George said.

“What I love about the Haka at Twickenham is that you hear the noise and the theatre that comes with it.

“It’s not just about our reaction. It’s the fans’ reaction – the cheering and the chanting that goes on with it. That’s the stuff that makes rugby special.

“What I know is you can do what you like to the Haka but fundamentally it’s going to come down to how you front up physically against the All Blacks and that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”

Assistant coach Kevin Sinfield insists that Marler is “doing OK” and expects a clearer picture over his availability for the rest of the Autumn Nations Series to emerge over the weekend.

Marler has talked at length of his mental health issues and has missed England camps because of his depression.

Watch the exclusive reveal-all episode of Walk the Talk with Ardie Savea as he chats to Jim Hamilton about the RWC 2023 experience, life in Japan, playing for the All Blacks and what the future holds. Watch now for free on RugbyPass TV

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Comments

9 Comments
F
Flankly 105 days ago

He’s always been a little bit close to the line

For Joe there is no line. That's why he is amusing.

B
Bull Shark 106 days ago

Gahd.


I hope they don’t do some contrived synched bollocks move. Just sing sweet chariot and be done with it.


Or, do a human pyramid. Yes. A human pyramid would be cool. With itoje a doing a handstand on the top.

I
Icefarrow 106 days ago

It's going to be something unoriginal, that's for sure. For all this talk of responding to the haka, all anyone seems to do is line up in a v-shape or something. Would be nice to see something creative for a change.

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fl 6 hours ago
Steve Borthwick urged by predecessor to make radical Ben Earl decision

1) I didn’t say he wasn’t good enough for Wales. I said he wasn’t good enough for England or SA, but that he would be good enough for Wales.


2) I didn’t include the u20 games which Ojomoh and Atkinson played in. Ojomoh has played 69 senior professional matches for Bath, and a further 4 for the England under 20s. Atkinson has played 52 senior professional matches for Gloucester and 10 for Worcester. He has never been capped by England u20s.


3) Ojomoh is pretty much a guaranteed starter. He started some games off the bench when he was returning from injury, but before the international break he had a run of 4 consecutive starts.


4) Atkinson is absolutely a guaranteed starter. He’s been a starter in 47 of his 52 games for Gloucester. 1 minute off the bench counts as a pro game so is important to note that BJVR has his appearance stats inflated by a relatively large (compared to Atkinson) number of appearances when he was on the pitch for less than 5 minutes.


5) It is genuinely impressive that you managed to get so many basic facts wrong in just one relatively short comment. It is a shame that you are not coming to this with an open mind, but to be clear no one is saying that BJVR is a bad player, but given there are good young English options, it makes more sense to develop them rather than expect a 29 year old (as he will be when he becomes eligible for England) to come into the team and immediately excel.

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