Joe Marler: England Support Says New Zealand Hack Should Be Reversed, Then Temporarily Deletes X’s Account

England defender Joe Marler has reinstated his X account after posting that New Zealand’s pre-match hack should be scrapped.

In a statement on social media ahead of England’s match against the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday, Marler said: “Haka needs binning. It’s funny.”

The 34-year-old then added: “It’s only good when teams actually respond to it. Like the guys in the league did last week.”

The messages caused an inevitable backlash from some.

A few hours later, Marler reactivated his X account and posted: “Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to drum up interest in a mega rugby match. Some crazy answers. Big love x”.

He added: “My narcissism also needed to be satisfied.”

Harlequins prop Marler will miss the match at Allianz Stadium after breaking his leg in the first Test between England and New Zealand in July.

In rugby union, World Rugby laws state that teams must remain in their own half while the All Blacks perform the haka.

England were fined by the governing body back in 2019 after they lined up in a ‘V’ formation during the Rugby World Cup semi-final when Marler crossed the halfway line.

As a result, the Rugby Football Union was ordered to pay £2,000 for breaching tournament rules “relating to cultural issues”.

In 2007, New Zealand staged their cherished pre-match dressing room haka following a dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over the timing of the traditional military dance.

Wales denied the All Blacks a request to perform the Haka after the national anthem before kick-off.

At that year’s World Cup, France met the imposing Sébastien Chabal in the quarter-finals, one of the New Zealand players to watch.

England: 15 George Fairbank, 14 Emmanuel Fahey-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (c), 3 Will Stewart, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.

Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Finn Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isikwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford.