An Act of Stupidity That May Change England's Front Row

Joe Marler was already in trouble for calling an opponent ‘gypsy boy’. Now another act of idiocy has him staring at a suspension that could have implications for Eddie Jones and England, writes Martyn Thomas.

It took Joe Marler barely 26 minutes to make an impact on his return from suspension on Friday night. Unfortunately for the Harlequins prop it was an intervention that could land him in yet more hot water.

Making his first appearance since World Rugby slapped him with a two-week ban for his ‘Gypsy boy’ comment to Wales’ Samson Lee, Marler would have been advised to keep a low profile.

Instead, the increasingly controversial front-row forward decided to show his displeasure with Grenoble hooker Arnaud Heguy by kicking out at his head.

Joe Marler in trouble again after appearing to kick opponent in the head https://t.co/Y819e42r4g pic.twitter.com/j7rBK5P6sY

— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) April 22, 2016

Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea could argue, with some justification, after his side’s European Challenge Cup semifinal win that Marler had made contact with Heguy with his shin rather than his foot.

But that is not the point.

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The intent was there, as the England prop wrestled with his front-row rival on the floor before teeing up his head to meet his shin, however faintly.

Contact may have been so inconsequential that in the ‘good old days’ the incident would barely have registered, but it was an act of utter stupidity.

Unlike Wasps replacement Simon McIntyre, who has been cited for a similar incident in his side’s European Champions Cup last-four defeat to Saracens, his movement was not impeded and, therefore, he had no need to get involved. Yet he felt compelled to.

Marler now faces an anxious wait to discover his fate, but given the entry level suspension for kicking an opponent is four weeks, if found guilty, then his season could well be over.

Harlequins would certainly be denied his services for the Challenge Cup final against Montpellier on May 13, which would be a huge blow to his club and outgoing director of rugby, O’Shea.

Given the furore caused by the 25-year-old’s remarks to Lee, and the subsequent World Rugby investigation, Marler could be looking at even longer on the sidelines.

World Rugby’s disciplinary guidelines on the offence allow for a ban anywhere between four and 52 weeks, and while the latter is highly unlikely, a ban of more than a month is not impossible.

If, for example, Marler is deemed to have committed a mid-range offence then he would face eight weeks out. Such a ban would rule him out of England’s tour of Australia in June, and create a real risk of losing possession of the England No.1 shirt to Mako Vunipola.

The elder Vunipola brother is in arguably the best form of his career and played the full 80 minutes for Saracens as they dispensed of Wasps.

Miss the flight Down Under and Marler could put his international place in jeopardy.

And that would be a shame. As O’Shea pointed out on Friday night, the controversy distracted attention from what had been a fine individual performance from Marler.

But there can also be no doubt that he needs to cut out the kind of aberrations that marred his display against Grenoble.

Since breaking into the Harlequins set-up Marler has attempted to cultivate a reputation as something of an odd-ball.

It is true that he is not always the easiest interviewee, and he has not had the most harmonious relationship with the press pack at times, but he is a confident and well-liked player among his teammates.

O’Shea would not have handed him the captaincy last season if he did not trust him, and the prop must not allow controversy to detract from his ability.

Neither Marler nor Harlequins were happy with the amount of column inches devoted to his spat with Lee, but there is only one way to dictate what is written, and that is with performances on the pitch.

One man who could tell him that, and who barely put a foot wrong in his own European semifinal, is Dan Carter.

The All Blacks legend was exemplary as he and Racing 92 half-back partner Maxime Machenaud guided their side past Leicester Tigers and into the Champions Cup final.

Carter used all of his experience to ensure that the Parisians played in the right areas of the pitch and ensured Leicester were kept at arm’s length until a late, ultimately futile, flurry.

Victory for Racing keeps the fly-half’s quest for a silverware clean sweep very much on, the only dampener being that he could be denied a contest with Owen Farrell in Lyon.

Farrell has been cited for a dangerous tackle that resulted in an ugly clash of heads with Dan Robson that ended the Wasps scrum-half’s afternoon and confined the England No.10 to the sin bin.

Farrell, like Marler, faces an anxious wait as World Rugby’s disciplinary officials are kept busy. Carter, meanwhile, can focus on what he does best: collecting trophies.