LONDON (AP) — England prop Joe Marler added spice to the rugby test against New Zealand on Saturday by calling for the All Blacks’ famous pre-match haka to be scrapped.
“The haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous,” the England prop wrote on the social media platform X about the pre-kickoff ritual.
Marler added that the haka was “only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply.”
His posts prompted a backlash and Marler appeared to delete his X account, only for it to resurface on Wednesday.
“Context is everything,” he wrote. “Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses.”
Marler has not been selected for the match at Twickenham, but has been part of the 36-man training squad that is preparing for the test.
In rugby union, regulations prevent opposing teams crossing the halfway line while New Zealand players are performing the haka.
England was fined in 2019 after contravening the rule ahead of the World Cup semifinal, with Marler going across the line as England did a reverse V, as if to hem in the New Zealand players.
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