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England prop Marler admits relishing 'taking mickey' out of shamefaced Saracens stars
England’s seven-strong Saracens contingent have not been allowed to forget the salary cap scandal that has engulfed their club after becoming the repeated targets of Joe Marler’s jokes.
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Marler is using humour to diffuse any tension over the crisis that will see Saracens relegated at the end of the season for exceeding the £7million ceiling for player wages.
Ed Griffiths has become the third casualty of the descent into the second tier of English club rugby after he departed on Tuesday just 26 days into a 12-month contract as chief executive.
And to give Marler further ammunition, Saracens have been docked an additional 70 points to guarantee they will finish bottom of the Gallagher Premiership.
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WATCH: We gather up a host of familiar faces to discuss the home nations’ chances in the upcoming Six Nations plus some huge rumours, more Saracens fallout, refereeing controversies and much more…
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Saracens stars such as Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola have been reassured by their England team-mates training for the Six Nations opener against France that they face no animosity, but Marler is adopting his own approach.
“Huge (banter), loads of it. It’s been brilliant for me,” the Harlequins prop said.
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“I had a certain amount of ammo previously but they kept winning stuff, so then you can take the mickey out of them all you want, but you haven’t got a medal to show for anything. But this has given me a bit more ammo to take the mick.
“It is the only way I know how to deal with awkward situations or slightly more serious stuff – and I like to think that has helped them to think everything is normal, we are just carrying on as normal.
“If you don’t address the elephant in the room, however you address it – whether that is by taking the p*** or not – it grows, doesn’t it?
“It becomes even more awkward. So one of the first things to do was come into camp and say, ‘if anyone has got an issue, air it now, and if you don’t want to air it – you don’t feel comfortable – go and speak to one of the boys separately’.
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“There are a couple of sets of gloves that we have got in the gym as well if people want to go that far!
“Luckily it hasn’t come to that and it has been parked because you come in here and we are trying to win a Six Nations!
“The longer those conversations or any sort of resentment towards it goes on will detract from what we are trying to achieve here as an England team.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Starts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
2 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
2 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
228 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
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