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Scott Robertson and Joe Marler exchange words moments before haka

Scott Robertson and Joe Marler

Despite not being selected for England this week, loosehead Joe Marler took centre stage with his comments regarding the haka.

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There had been much talk as to how the All Blacks would respond to his now-infamous comments on X, but there seemed to be no bad blood between the Englishman and All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson ahead of the match at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

The 34-year-old was probably unaware of the onslaught of opprobrium he would face after writing on X this week: “The haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous,” followed up by “It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.”

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All Blacks coach Scott Robertson on what to expect from England | RPTV

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All Blacks coach Scott Robertson on what to expect from England | RPTV

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson chatted to Lawrence Dallaglio ahead of the Autumn Nations Series clash against England. Watch the full interview on RugbyPass TV.

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After deleting his X account, then resurrecting it, Marler apologised on Thursday, writing: “Hey rugby fans. Just wanted to jump on here and say sorry to any New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week. I meant no malice in asking for it to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction.

“How good were the Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France ‘07, Tokyo ‘19 or Samoa vs England rugby league responses? Create some entertaining drama before kick-off. My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was s**thouse and I should have done better at explaining things.

“I’m grateful for the education received on how important the Haka is to the New Zealand culture and hope others have a better understanding too. Now roll on 3 pm on Saturday for a mega rugby occasion. England by 6pts I’ll get back in my attention seeking box now.”

Robertson and Marler were all smiles as the teams warmed up pre-match, sharing a hug.

England head coach Steve Borthwick distanced himself from the comments pre-match, saying to TNT Sports:  “We respect the Haka, clearly it’s a tradition in rugby. But in no uncertain terms, the players are ready for the challenge, and they’ll accept the challenge no doubt.”

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Comments

4 Comments
S
SS 153 days ago

Respect to Marler for apologising. Great personality. Has a point on why competing teams are not allowed to try to get an competitive edge over AB by doing a counter or just being allowed to face off within an allowable distance.

S
SS 153 days ago

The way England pushed him out of the team also says a lot about the culture in the team. Wonder why top assistant coaches are moving out

J
JK 153 days ago

The haka is over-rated....there is plenty of other flakey white fish to be had...wait...

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fl 1 hour ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

“A succession of recent ex-players going straight back into the game as coaches in their early 40’s would prob be enough to kill it stone-dead. Innovation would die a death.”

Would it? I do think one of the major differences between rugby and most other sports - which we’ve been overlooking - is the degree to which players are expected to lead team meetings & analysis sessions and the like. Someone like Owen Farrell has basically been an assistant coach already for ten years - and he’s been so under a variety of different head coaches with different expectations and playing styles.


“The most interesting ppl I have met in the game have all coached well into their sixties and they value the time and opportunity they have had to reflect and therefore innovate in the game. That’s based on their ability to compare and contrast between multiple eras.”

I don’t doubt that that’s true. But having interesting insights doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the best able to inspire a team, or the best at managing the backroom staff.


“Wayne Smith winning the WWC in his mid sixties three years ago prob means nothing to you but it meant a lot to him. It took him back to the roots of is own coaching journey.”

I don’t doubt that! But I don’t think coaches should be hired on the basis that it means a lot to them.


“The likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Wayne Bennett and Andy Reid all have a tale to tell. You should open your ears and listen to it!”

I agree! Never have I ever suggested otherwise!

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