Joe Marler calls for Haka to be 'binned' ahead of England v New Zealand - 'It's ridiculous'
ByOli Gent
Updated 30/10/2024 at 13:21 GMT
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Joe Marler has controversially called for New Zealand's traditional 'Haka' routine to be removed ahead of England's first Autumn Nations Series match against the All Blacks on Saturday, which will be shown exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The Harlequins prop labelled the Haka "ridiculous" and said it should be "binned" in a post on X, before later deactivating his account.
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England prop Joe Marler has sensationally called for New Zealand’s traditional ‘Haka’ routine to be "binned".
The Harlequins forward was speaking before England’s first Autumn Nations international against the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday, which will be shown exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Marler has not played for his country since he injured his foot against the Kiwis back in July - where England narrowly lost out 16-15 - and he isn’t part of the 23-man squad to face the three-time World Cup winners this weekend.
The Haka is a traditional Maori dance routine that all New Zealand sides perform before every game, with the original All Blacks side the first to turn it into a true tradition back in 1905.
"The Haka needs binning. It's ridiculous," Marler posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday evening.
The forward followed up his own tweet, replying: “It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the [rugby] league boys did last week.”
Marler, who deactivated his X account after his tweet, was referencing the rugby league match between England and Samoa last week.
England's players faced up to their opponents during their pre-match Siva Tau, a Samoan war dance, with Mikey Lewis and Gordon Chan Kum Tong going head-to-head.
Marler has since reactivated his profile, and took to the platform on Wednesday morning, stating that "context is everything", accompanying his message with a fishing emoji.
It read: "Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses. Big Love x".
He then sent a second tweet saying that he "needed to satisfy my narcissism".
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Marler’s jibe will certainly ignite the competitive juices between Steve Borthwick and Scott Robertson’s sides, with England having won just eight of their 45 meetings with the All Blacks.
The Haka has often been felt to intimidate New Zealand’s opponents, who typically stand on the halfway line watching on.
However, some sides have taken a more aggressive stance, with Eddie Jones’ England setting up in a ‘V’ shape ahead of their 2019 World Cup semi-final in Japan, which England went on to win 19-7, and saw Owen Farrell smirking throughout the Haka routine.
Perhaps the most famous response to the Haka was France’s ahead of the 2011 World Cup final, when the hosts walked down the All Blacks in a reverse ‘V’ formation to that of England’s, with Thierry Dusatoir leading Les Bleus, who edged closer and closer to their opposition hand-in-hand.
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