Joe Marler has added extra spice to England’s match with New Zealand on Saturday by claiming the pre-match haka should be scrapped.
Writing on the social media site X, veteran prop Marler said: “The haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.”
The 34-year-old then added: “It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.”
The messages prompted an inevitable backlash from some and Marler subsequently deleted his X account.
Harlequins prop Marler will not feature in the match at Allianz Stadium after breaking his foot during the first Test between England and New Zealand in July.
In rugby union, World Rugby laws state that teams must stay within their own half while the All Blacks are performing the haka.
England were fined by the governing body back in 2019 after they lined up in a ‘V’ shape during the Rugby World Cup semi-final, with Marler crossing the halfway line.
As a result, the Rugby Football Union were ordered to pay £2,000 for breaching tournament rules “relating to cultural challenges”.
In 2007, New Zealand staged their cherished pre-match haka in the dressing room after a dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over the timing of the traditional war dance.
Wales refused the All Blacks’ request for the Haka to be performed after the anthems just before kick-off.
At that year’s World Cup France got up close and personal in the quarter-final, with the imposing Sebastien Chabal one of those to stare down the New Zealand players.
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford.
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