1
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments on RugbyPass
An on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
10 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
10 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
10 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to comments