England prop Joe Marler announced his retirement from international rugby on Sunday, just days after urging New Zealand to ditch the haka.
The 34-year-old, who retired once before in 2018 before returning to help take England to the 2019 World Cup final, was a member of the squad for the current November internationals.
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However, he left the camp on Monday for personal reasons and didn’t feature in Saturday’s agonising 24-22 loss to the All Blacks at Twickenham.
His decision means the end of a 95-cap Test career, although Marler will continue playing for Harlequins until the end of the season.
“Playing for England always felt like I was living in a dream bubble,” he said on Instagram.
“I kept waiting for it to pop and me to suddenly go back to being a gobby, overweight 16-year-old again. But you know when it’s time.”
He added: “I can’t do what I used to do as well as I once could. I can’t keep talking about my family being my priority unless they actually are.
“I want to keep untarnished all these memories of my career, both good and bad. I don’t want to leave my house with my kids crying. I’m ready to make the change.”
– ‘Uncompromising’ –
England head coach Steve Borthwick paid tribute to Marler by saying: “Joe has been an outstanding servant to English rugby –- a tough, uncompromising competitor on the field, and a genuine, one-of-a-kind personality off it.
“We’ll miss his humour, sense of fun, and the energy he brought to the squad. We’re grateful for all he’s given to England rugby, and though we won’t see him in an England jersey anymore, he’ll always be part of this team.”
Marler attempted to stir up controversy in the build-up to Saturday’s match by labelling the haka as “ridiculous” and saying New Zealand’s pre-game routine “needs binning”.
Haka are ritual war dances that form a significant part of indigenous Maori culture, and have long been associated with the All Blacks.
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson responded to Marler’s comments by saying Thursday: “I know Joe. I wonder if he wish he could have articulated himself a little bit better on that.
“The haka for us is a custom. It is part of who we are, our DNA.”
Marler, who spoke to Robertson before Saturday’s kick-off at Twickenham, himself apologised later Thursday to New Zealand fans for his “poorly articulated tweet”.
“I meant no malice in asking for it to be binned,” Marler wrote in a new post on social media site X.
“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.”
He added: “I’ll get back in my attention-seeking box now.”
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