Marler sparks Twitter spat over Premiership player welfare
Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler has sparked an online debate among rugby fans about player welfare in the Gallagher Premiership. The restarted 2019/20 top-flight season will have seen the loosehead’s club play seven games in 31 days after they finish up at Gloucester next Monday.
That will then extend out to nine games in 51 days by the time their Premiership backlog ends at Leicester on October 4. Marler’s appearance versus Bath last Saturday meant he had started in four of Harlequins’ five matches so far, clocking up 271 minutes on the pitch over a 22-day period.
Although creating a Twitter debate isn’t necessarily a difficult task in this day and age (in fact, anything typed by a celebrity is likely to lead to tonnes of bile in the comments section), Marler’s recent comments have proven inflammatory.
He tweeted: “9 games in 7 weeks……… what a bloody fantastic idea that was,” referring to the game-load that Premiership players currently have. The 30-year-old is certainly not the only player to voice concern.
However, his tweet was like a red rag to a bull to some people with keyboards who were quick to question how much he is paid while also suggesting that he could retire. The Premiership’s five-month rest period between the March stoppage and the August restart was also mentioned.
Comments like this, in turn, evoked another response from fans who agreed with Marler highlighting the physical toll of being a professional rugby player.
Player welfare has been a point of discussion since the Premiership returned last month, and the topic has only intensified given the revelations by former players Dylan Hartley and James Haskell about the state of their bodies in retirement.
Hartley’s recently released book explained the price he paid with his body, an issue which Haskell expanded upon on here on RugbyPass and on his podcast. Being a player that has never shied away from voicing his opinion, Marler, who himself is publishing a book next month, has now provided his views in typical terse fashion.
Yet while players will inevitably succumb to injury during this intense schedule, the true effects of this season may only come to light in the next campaign or beyond, particularly when looking at the calendar that lies ahead for some players that are aspiring to play for the British and Irish Lions in 2021.
He’s not playing in all 9 games and when he does play he only plays about 50/60 mins,so no issue really!! He could allways retire again????
— michael scott (@michael79109584) September 7, 2020
& how much do you get paid? Get on with it!
— Mike Wilson (@mike_wilson11) September 7, 2020
Not the same level as you but played 7 games in just over 24 days once at end of season and had a full time job so sure you can do it
— Stephen bolam (@bolam12) September 7, 2020
Try telling that to the squaddies who fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and are still operating around the world. Or to the family of PC Harper who didn’t come home after his shift. I love rugby but comments like this stink of football…
— haveiboredyouyet? (@Any1_listening) September 7, 2020
Nobody forces them to choose professional rugby, they seem to enjoy the lifestyle and money etc that comes with playing at the time .
— Adam Warwick (@AdamWarwick86) September 7, 2020
Everyone on this thread saying “get on with it, how much do you get paid” obviously never played any competitive or serious sport past 3rd year of school, and probably only train their drinking arms.
— Chris Kirk (@ChrisKirk_ASP) September 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/Perky_Originale/status/1302918212133294081?s=20
Loving the response from some clowns.
I need a good 3 months between games to give me time to forget how much I hurt for the week afterwards! ??
— Sharpy (@gingersharpy) September 7, 2020
Everyone telling @JoeMarler to ‘Get on with it’ or ‘I played x amount of games at Ametuer level’, but not actually stopping to think his point might be more that teams can’t field their strongest side for every match which means possibly a lower league position than planned for.
— Ashley Lehec (@AshleyLehec) September 7, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Dear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
28 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
9 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
9 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
28 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
28 Go to commentsI’m so glad we’re revisiting this. Really needs to be dissected further. I’m also so glad that a guy in the stands who wasn’t anywhere near the field when any of it would have been said (and even confirms this) has taken the lead and commented as Ireland. Definitely cleared it all up. This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t so misleading.
28 Go to commentsits such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
28 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
28 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
28 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
28 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
28 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
28 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
86 Go to commentsCoin flip between Ardie and Scott Barrett. Both have their pros and cons, and both would probably be decent. Ardie has way more passion on the field, but that hasn’t always translated into the best decisions. They will both turn 34 at the next World Cup, so both will most likely have their best days a few years behind them. It’s hard to imagine now, but looking at young players coming through Ardie will probably be under the most pressure to retain his place in the team. Beauden Barrett also an outside chance if Razor sees him as the first choice 10.
9 Go to commentsQuality stuff from Flats. Rugby can’t replace football nor should we want it to. I think the ‘product’ (awful term sorry) now is absolutely fantastic. Growing the game shouldn’t be at the expense of losing its brutal beauty.
2 Go to comments