When Joe Marler held court at the pool of an England hotel outside Durban before his Test debut in 2012, it quickly became clear he would make rugby more fun.
Now the show is about to end, for the one-club man who has given 15 years of loyal service to Harlequins, adding colour, chaos and the occasional controversy along the way.
As the club’s head coach Danny Wilson said ahead of the 34-year-old prop and Mail Sport columnist’s last dance against Bristol on Friday evening: ‘He is one of rugby’s great characters and will be missed.’
Absolutely right, he will. In a game that aims to mass-produce conformists, Marler has broken the mold. He is irreplaceable.
Few modern players profile themselves outside the traditional hotbeds of rugby fandom, but Marler has done so emphatically.
The audience was entertained by his goofy nature and refusal to take himself too seriously. Even Wednesday’s farewell posts on social media were fraught with typical self-mockery.
Joe Marler announced his retirement from rugby on Wednesday – and he will be sorely missed
In a game that tries to mass-produce conformists, Marler’s fun personality shattered the standard
Even his farewell social media posts on Wednesday were fraught with typical self-mockery
Head to YouTube and it quickly becomes clear that the mighty Quin has made a name for himself. One compilation of Marler’s highlights on and off the field has been viewed no less than 2.2 million times.
Where to start? Well, the haircuts maybe. There have been mohicans, red and orange stripes, words shaved around his head. There have also been all kinds of bizarre sartorial statements, including camouflage clothing and a silver shell suit.
Mail Sport rugby correspondent Chris Foy
Bristol should be on alert tomorrow as Marler is highly unlikely to leave quietly. It’s not his style.
He’s been busy during matches, from the moment he shouted: ‘You’re boring me, hurry up’ at the Exeter players as they formed a caterpillar ruck, to the moment he asked referee Andrew Small: ‘Do you carry on? those (white) boots for a bet?’
The wind-ups were brutal. Marler got into trouble with James Haskell after spraying water at him during a break in a Quins-Wasps game, and he sat on an opponent leaning over a ruck until he was ordered to climb down.
He also deflected a rival kicker during a match against Sale by moving his backside towards him before shooting at goal.
Over the years, many of his interviews have gone down in folklore, not least the time when, before a comeback, he talked about ‘getting back on the horse’ and ended up doing an impression of the imaginary creature that, inexplicably , had an Irish appearance. accent.
Then there was his appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show after the 2019 World Cup, when Marler brought the house down by singing solo in front of a host of celebrity guests, including a stunned Nicole Scherzinger.
Riding his bike, Marler arrived at Harlequins training in characteristic style in May
The 34-year-old prop will bow out for Harlequins with his final dance against Bristol on Friday
Marler will continue to write his indispensable columns on Mail+ during the Six Nations next year
His career included brawls and cards and several run-ins with the authorities, not least when Marler was banned for two incitement incidents in clashes with Wales, during which he called Samson Lee ‘gypsy boy’ and an indignant Alun Wyn grabbed the crotch .
Marler will also be remembered as a fantastic player – a renowned scrummager who played a key role in Six Nations titles with England and Premiership titles with Quins.
But his main impact has been to illuminate rugby with its innate joy. When Marler leaves Friday night, he must sign off with the famous words of Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, in Gladiator: “Are you not entertained?”