Joe Marler apologises for ‘s***house’ comment calling for ‘ridiculous’ haka to be ‘binned’ – but England star claims teams must be allowed to respond
England rugby star Joe Marler has apologized for his controversial comments about the haka.
The 34-year-old hit the headlines this week after calling for the ceremonial dance – which he branded ‘ridiculous’ – to be ‘thrown out’ ahead of England’s match against New Zealand on Saturday.
This infuriated the public and several politicians in New Zealand, with Marler’s “lack of appreciation for tradition” slammed, while another figure accused him of having a low IQ.
Marler, who is currently absent from the England squad for personal reasons, subsequently deleted his X account, before reappearing on the platform hours later, although he refused to apologise.
However, on Thursday evening, Marler walked back these comments and expressed his regret.
England star Joe Marler has apologized for his controversial comments about the haka
The 34-year-old made headlines after claiming the ‘ridiculous’ haka ‘should be thrown out’
Marler’s comments about the ceremonial dance were rejected in New Zealand
“Hey rugby fans,” he posted on
“I didn’t mean it maliciously by asking for the haka to be thrown away, I just wanted the restrictions to be lifted so that a response without sanctions could be possible.
‘How good were the reactions of Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France ’07, Tokyo ’19 or Samoa versus England in rugby league? Create an entertaining drama before you start. My light-hearted attempt to start a debate about it was s***house and I should have done my best to explain things.
‘I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained about how important the Haka is to New Zealand culture and hope others will understand this better too. Roll now on Saturday at 3pm for a mega rugby event. England (win) by 6 points. I’m going back to my attention seeking box now. Big love x.”
Marler’s original post said: ‘The Haka should be thrown away. It’s ridiculous.’
After that first comment, he clarified its meaning, saying, “It only makes sense if teams actually answer it. Like the guys in the league did last week.”
Marler appeared to have deleted his Just having a bit of fun to generate interest in a mega rugby match. Some wild reactions.’
Then he added, “Also necessary to satisfy my narcissism.”
His criticism of the pre-match ritual had sparked anger in New Zealand, with Maori cultural advisor Dr Karaitiana Taiuru telling Kiwi News exhaust stuff: ‘Calls for it to be thrown away for no reason shows a lack of appreciation for traditions, which is contradictory to any rugby player, cultural appreciation and a lack of open-mindedness.’
Meanwhile, David Seymour, Regulation Minister and leader of the ACT Party, launched a savage attack on the 34-year-old.
“In my experience, I’ve met a few props with very high IQs, but very few of them,” he said. “So it could be something in that area.”
Marler’s comments have heightened pre-match tensions surrounding the match but England captain Jamie George tried to lighten the mood on Thursday.
Marler responded after the wave of criticism and appeared to walk back the earlier claim
The 34-year-old is not part of the England squad for the game in New Zealand for personal reasons
But on Thursday, Marler ultimately apologized for his comments, which he labeled “s***house.”
“Thanks Joe Marler!,” he joked. ‘We chatted a bit this week and I just said, “Cheers mate, thanks so much!”.
“To be honest, it’s classic Joe. I think he’s always been a little close to the line with certain social media posts. So nothing comes as a surprise with Joe.
‘It’s not useless. It’s a conversation Joe and I had the week before; thoughts about it, what can we do about it, all that kind of stuff. I think he egged the bear on a little bit.”
George was effusive in his praise for the spectacle created by the All Blacks’ famous pre-kick-off ritual, having encountered it many times in his career. “I love it,” he said. “I love the history of it.”
That was also the buzzword from the All Blacks camp, as head coach Scott Robertson responded to Marler’s comments.
“I know Joe,” he said. ‘I wonder if he wishes he could have expressed himself a little better about that.
‘The Haka is a habit for us, it is part of who we are, it is our DNA. It is for occasions, for joy, for connection, and also for challenge, and we use it as a challenge.
“And we believe it’s a great rugby tradition, as all Pacific countries do beforehand, just to honor where they come from. So it’s not just about the All Blacks, it’s about us as a country, so it means a lot to us.”
Players given the challenge are not allowed to cross the halfway line, as per World Rugby rules. But Marler breached that in 2019, crossing the line in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Referee Nigel Owens told him to back down and England were later fined £2,000 for breaching tournament rules ‘relating to cultural challenges’.
World Rugby rules ban players from crossing the border – something Marler did in 2019
Marler then told The Jonathan Ross Show that England were confused about how to line up for that match, which they won 19–7 before being defeated by South Africa in the final.
“The problem was, Ben [Youngs] drew it the night before…he got up and did it on a flip chart and marked it all with X’s and Os,” Marler said.
“The problem I had with it is I looked at that sign and thought, ‘It’s not to scale.’ I thought we were meant to be closer than what the photo said.
‘[I went over the line] which I thought we were all going to do, but when I looked back and they didn’t do it, I was like, “I already committed to it now.”