Joe Marler has walked back his comments calling for New Zealand’s Haka to be scrapped, saying he meant “no malice” and that he merely wants restrictions lifted to allow a response.
“My flippant attempt at sparking debate around it was s–thouse and I should have done better at explaining things,” said the veteran English prop.
The larger-than-life prop’s comments via X came as New Zealand coach Scott Robertson addressed the controversy for the first time at his Thursday team announcement ahead of Sunday’s (2:15am AEDT) Test at Twickenham.
Marler baited the All Blacks ahead of the Autumn Series opener by writing on social media on Tuesday night that “the Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.”
A follow-up post a day later included an emoji indicating he had been ‘fishing’ for a response but Robertson believes the 34-year-old, who left England’s camp on Monday for personal reasons and will not face the 2023 World Cup runners-up, could have chosen his words more carefully.
Joe Marler of England gets past Pieter-Steph Du Toit of South Africa. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“I know Joe. I wonder if he wished he could have articulated himself a little bit better on that,” Robertson said at New Zealand’s team announcement press conference on Thursday.
“The haka for us is a custom. It is part of who we are, our DNA. You can welcome somebody, it is for celebrations, for joy, and also for challenge and we use it as a challenge.
“We believe it is a great tradition of rugby, as it is for all Pacific nations,” Robertson added. “It honours where they have come from. It is not just about the All Blacks, it is about us as a country. It means a lot to us.”
“The crowd enjoy it, don’t they? It’s a special occasion because how often do we come up here?
As part of the same social media post, Marler added: “It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.”
The Harlequins front row was referencing England rugby league player Mikey Lewis, who went head-to-head with Samoa’s Gordon Chan Kum Tong on Sunday when their equivalent Siva Tau war dance was being performed before their clash in Wigan.
Eddie Jones’ England took on the Haka before their stunning 2019 World Cup semi-final victory over New Zealand by their players adopting a V-shape formation. Robertson described it as an “awesome” response.
“It had a clear meaning and it was respectfully done. It’s great, it’s what we’re all about. The response has got to be meaningful and respectful. Whatever they come up with on Saturday we’ll face,” he said.
Marler’s comments have provoked a backlash in New Zealand, including from David Seymour, leader of the political party ACT which is part of the coalition government.
“I love the Haka. It wouldn’t be the All Blacks if they didn’t do the Haka,” Seymour told reporters outside Parliament.
“Who is this Joe Marler guy? I’ve never heard of him. An English prop? Well in my experience there are very few props with high IQ. It could be something in that area.”
Mana Epiha, a cultural advisor who works in Maori broadcasting, claimed Marler was “a little bit lost”.
“If he doesn’t like it, that is probably a good thing. That is not for people to like, it’s for people to tremble in their boots,” Epiha told reporters.
“It’s definitely something that brings about beautiful feelings of our ancestors’ warrior spirits.”
On Friday, Marler delivered a three-part post on X to try and cool the tensions.
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