Joe Marler has two-word Haka response and leaves talkSPORT hosts in stitches
11/12/2024 07:49 AM
Joe Marler left two talkSPORT hosts in hysterics when revealing what goes through his head when watching the Haka.
The England star recently announced his decision to retire from the sport after an emotional conversation with his daughter.
This came shortly after he made headlines when one of his posts on X went viral after he declared that the Haka needed ‘binning’.
Marler appeared on The Sports Breakfast and spoke to Ally McCoist and Andy Townsend about his comments.
Asked what he thinks when he sees the All Blacks doing the haka, Marler responded: “Hurry up!
“Can we just get on with it?"
Marler's response was met by raucous laughter from McCoist and Townsend.
He then continued: "They can say how much it means to them but there will always be one or two who aren't really buying into it, so I tried to look for that because they are a bit more 'I'm just doing this because everyone else is doing it'.
"Could I have articulated it better? Yes, but if I'd articulated the tweet better, would it have got the reaction that it did? Probably not.
"I knew exactly what I was doing – you guys here at talkSPORT were talking about it and although it was fueling my narcissism, it was actually bringing up a mega rugby fixture that otherwise you maybe wouldn't have spoken about as much.
"Let's grow the sport a bit more. Let's look at boxing and the way Eddie Hearn sells it and stop restricting ourselves."
It comes after Marler’s comments on social media that went viral in the buildup to England’s Autumn International clash with Australia.
In a post on X, he wrote: “The haka needs binning. It's ridiculous.”
Marler then doubled down in a second post, adding: “It's only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the [rugby] league boys did last week.”
After his haka posts, Marler deactivated his X account before making a dramatic return to the platform.
Returning to the site, he said: “Context is everything. Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses. Big love x.”
A follow up post also read: “Also needed to satisfy my narcissism.”
Marler’s view on the haka was then backed up by talkSPORT host Ally McCoist, who believes it gives teams a ‘psychological advantage’.
McCoist explained: “He's right. Because whether we like it or not, the haka, as much as it is good to watch and we all love it, I love watching it, a lot of people would think it would give them a psychological advantage.
“So why should we allow that to happen? Why would anybody in any sporting field allow somebody to get a psychological advantage over you? Joe Marler is right.”
McCoist then added: “In all seriousness, Joe's right. Why should the opposition, in my opinion, be given an advantage?
“And it is an advantage and by the way, I thoroughly enjoy it, love watching it, I love the way they go about it. I think it's a fantastic thing but it's giving them an advantage.
“That is giving them an advantage, of course it is. It's giving them a psychological advantage to look at their opponent and try to get a headstart on them.
“So Joe is right, they should be able to react in whatever way they want.”
England are next in action against South Africa on Saturday, before facing Japan next week.
