Ex-England player claims Jones' post-match protest against Marler only motivated by Wales losing
England scrum-half Danny Care believes Alun Wyn Jones’ post-match protest at having his testicles grabbed by Joe Marler was motivated by Wales losing at Twickenham.
Marler appears before a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Thursday after being charged with acting against the spirit of good sportsmanship by “grabbing, twisting or squeezing the genitals” of an opponent.
An incident that divides opinion took place in the opening minutes of a 33-30 victory but escalated in gravity when Jones, the Wales captain, voiced his anger that was not reviewed at the time by the TMO.
The offence carries a recommended minimum suspension of twelve weeks and given Marler’s chequered disciplinary record, he could be facing a substantial ban.
Care, his England and Harlequins team-mate, insists the 29-year-old prop was acting out of mischief rather than malice in attempt to wind-up his 2017 Lions colleague.
“It’s contextual. If Wales win that game, I don’t think it’s as big an issue as it is,” Care said. “Alun Wyn Jones’ reaction after the game is probably that of a disappointed and angry Alun Wyn Jones. And that was a way to take a bit of that anger out. That will be my penny’s worth.
“You could see there was no malice in it, it’s a joke between two old team-mates. But I can understand why people have seen it the wrong way – you don’t want to see kids seeing that. It was in a rugby environment and it happens a lot.
“I have never seen a case like this before and we’ll all be interested to see what happens. Obviously we’d like to see Joe play as many games as we can for Harlequins for the rest of the season, he’s a great player. We’ll have to see what happens.”
The reaction provoked by Marler’s latest stunt is polarised between those who see it as a minor prank by one of the sport’s most colourful characters and the view that it has no place on a rugby field no matter the intention.
“Being in the rugby environment and knowing Joe, it’s one of those things that happens a lot,” Care said. “I’ve lost count of the number of people who have touched my genitals in a game of rugby. I don’t see it as a big deal.
“Obviously it’s been blown up because it’s in an international game, England v Wales, and we haven’t seen that many cases like this before. And if Joe Marler’s name is involved it intensifies because of who he is.”
Advice for AWJ ahead of Thursday's Marler hearing in Dublin #ENGvWAL https://t.co/ejI2kL7PL7
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 11, 2020
Harlequins boss Paul Gustard, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premiership Rugby Cup final against Sale, has called for perspective over the incident.
“The furore over this incident doesn’t seem to be mirrored in the same amount of media coverage and people talking about the French kid (Mohamed Haouas against Scotland on Sunday) that could have broken someone’s jaw with a punch,” Gustard said.
“Or a vicious tackle with no arms. Or whatever. That’s the frustration for me because the safety of players is paramount.”
Marler’s England team-mate Courtney Lawes faces the same disciplinary panel in the Irish capital having been cited for a dangerous tackle on Jones. Manu Tuilagi’s automatic hearing following a red card for a dangerous tackle on George North is also being heard.
– Press Association
WATCH: The Rugby Pod reflects on all last weekend’s action, including the Joe Marler incident
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments