Joe Marler, 34-year-old England rugby player, has stepped away from the team currently training for the coming Saturday match against New Zealand, citing personal matters, as per the Guardian. Marler, who had joined the team at Bagshot, informed Steve Borthwick at the beginning of the week about his decision to leave.
Marler had made up his mind to leave before Borthwick had managed to announce the team that would compete against the All Blacks. Ellis Genge has been chosen to begin at loosehead prop on Saturday while Fin Baxter, the promising young Harlequin, will be on stand-by.
It’s uncertain at present if Marler, who already has 95 caps to his name, willmake a comeback to the squad following the All Blacks match when the team moves back to Bagshot. Also, it remains to be seen if he will participate in the rest of England’s autumn series, hosting Australia, South Africa, and Japan at Twickenham.
After his departure, Marler took to social media, expressing his views on the haka, calling it “ridiculous” and suggesting it “needs binning”. Subsequently, he has put his X account to bed.
Marler was last seen on the field for England during the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand, but suffered a foot injury in the initial Test match against the All Blacks. Since the injury, he has clawed his way back into fitness and appeared in a match against Saracens earlier in the month. He also attended a training camp in Girona the previous week.
Marler has been outspoken about the difficulties of staying away from his family for extended periods during training. In 2016, he opted out of a tour to Australia and declared his international retirement in 2018, although he later changed his mind to feature in the 2019 World Cup.
Marler had been hesitant to resurface in England’s international scene after his absence following the 2022 Six Nations. However, Borthwick successfully urged him to participate in the previous year’s World Cup. Upon reflecting on his decision to rejoin the international team, Marler revealed that he required ample persuasion. – Guardian.