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Ex-England captain fears Dublin 'trial by social media' for Joe Marler

By Josh Raisey
(Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)

With Joe Marler facing a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones’ genitals at Twickenham last Saturday, ex-England captain Lewis Moody has urged World Rugby to have calm heads and to avoid having a “trial by social media”. 

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The prop has been cited for an infringement of law 9.27, which says a player is prohibited from “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals”. 

Marler’s citing relates to an altercation with Wales captain Jones during the first half of the Guinness Six Nations encounter in London. 

The low-entry point for infringement is a twelve-week ban, but Moody has stressed in an Instagram post that “it is clear to see this was not an aggressive act to cause harm or an assault. It was a cheeky moment between adversaries who I dare say know each other well”.

The difficulty in this situation is deciding whether Marler should be absolved considering there was no ostensible malicious intent. Many people are in agreement with Moody and hope the case is judged accordingly. 

There are equally many who have said that this is not necessarily a rugby matter and must be treated in the same way as it would be if this was in a workplace. 

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There is a clear divide in opinion in this circumstance, which is why the ex-Leicester flanker does not want the Harlequins forward to be condemned on social media before he has even faced his hearing. 

The ex-British and Irish Lion even said that Marler’s “cheeky gesture” may have “defused a potentially volatile situation from getting out of hand”. 

Moody also shared from his own experience comparable situations to this one, saying: “I cannot count the number of nut shots I received from opponents when walking through a tunnel at the end of a game, all done and received with smiles on faces.”

The ex-England skipper is not the first former player to defend Marler and will not be the last, but this is uncharted territory given the way the prop committed this act of alleged foul play and it is unclear what the verdict on Thursday will be. 

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Trevor 19 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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