Joe Marler has stirred controversy ahead of England’s match against New Zealand this Saturday by suggesting that the pre-match haka should be discontinued. Marler, a seasoned prop, announced on the social media platform X/Twitter that he finds the haka ‘preposterous’ and believes it should be discontinued.
The 34-year-old went on to state that the haka only holds any merit when it receives some form of response, as demonstrated by the league boys the previous week. These comments sparked a notable uproar, which led Marler to delete his X account in response.
Despite voicing his opinion on pre-match rituals, Marler won’t be taking the field for the Allianz Stadium skirmish as Ellis Genge and Fin Baxter have been chosen as the preferred looseheads for the game. Nevertheless, Marler remains a crucial part of the 36-man training squad.
The rules of rugby union stipulate that rival teams must refrain from crossing the halfway point while the New Zealand team executes the traditional Maori war dance. But in 2019, England faced a fine after violating this rule ahead of the World Cup semi-final, with Marler being among the offenders. The Rugby Football Union has opted to reserve comment regarding Marler’s social media outcry.