England rugby star Joe Marler has inflamed tensions ahead of their clash with New Zealand on Saturday by branding the haka “ridiculous” and saying that the All Blacks’ traditional pre-match dance “needs binning”.
Harlequins prop Marler, 34, made the comments on social media just days before the teams meet in Twickenham this weekend but deactivated his account on X after they met with a furious backlash.
“The haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous,” he wrote of the haka, which has been performed by the All Blacks for more than 130 years.
Last week England’s rugby league team stared down Samoa’s version, the Siva Tau, in WIgan, where some players even butted heads as it reached a crescendo.
“It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply,” Marler added. “Like the league boys did last week.”
Marler was among the players who earned England a fine at the 2019 World Cup for crossing the halfway line as New Zealand performed the haka before their semi-final.
The ritual is often referred to as a war dance but in Maori culture is traditionally seen as a ceremonial way of welcoming distinguished guests.
Nonetheless, in sport it has come to be seen as an act of attempted intimidation by New Zealand’s athletes and its protected status, to some, arbitrary or even unfair.
Marler is part of England’s 36-man squad for the Autumn Nations Series but has not been named in the starting XV or on the bench for the game against the All Blacks.
Bristol’s Ellis Genge is set to start at loosehead, with Marler’s Quins teammate Fin Baxter, 21, selected as back-up among the replacements.
The Rugby Football Union has declined to comment on Marler’s social media post.