"Little p**k" – Wales fans have named the five England players they hate the most
Yesterday at 06:30 AM
The English have a knack for producing snarling, pantomime villains. These are the born-to-rule god-monsters who loom over fallen opponents, bellowing “Welcome to the House of Pain!” after a scrum collapse.
Find your local Greene King and settle in to the Six Nations!
Sure, the Scots, French, and Irish all love a crack at England, but two factors make this the ultimate northern hemisphere grudge match:
- Rugby is ingrained in Welsh identity. Unlike in England, where it often carries class connotations, the sport unites Wales across all walks of life. That passion fuels the fire when these two meet.
- This isn't a one-sided affair. Wales has a superior record against England compared to the other home nations. As former Welsh captain Phil Bennett once famously said before a clash with England:
“We’ve been exploited, raped, controlled, and punished by the English – and that’s who you are playing this afternoon.”
With that in mind, let's take a look at the English players who have wound up Wales fans the most over the years.
Honourable Mention: John Inverdale
The commentator Wales loves to hate.
Okay, so he's not a player, but there was no way we could leave him out. As Wales Online once put it:
“You sense Wales could reach the World Cup final and Inverdale would still find a way to present it as the ‘appetiser’ ahead of the ‘main course’ that is England’s bowls team vs Canada.”
5. Brian Moore – The Original Rottweiler
A snarling, punchy, Henry V-quoting hooker who embodied England's mid-90s menace.
A fearsome competitor, Brian Moore played 64 times for England between 1987 and 1995, winning three Grand Slams. The former hooker thrived on confrontation, whether it was scrapping in the scrum or leading a battle cry in the dressing room. Welsh fans loved to hate him—and he loved it just as much.
4. Joe Marler – The Ban Magnet
England's master of the dark arts, with a disciplinary record full of Welsh flashpoints.
The Harlequins prop has had more than his fair share of controversial moments against Wales. In 2016, he landed a two-week ban for calling Samson Lee a "gypsy boy." Then in 2020, he was handed a ten-week suspension for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones by the unmentionables. A world-class wind-up merchant who rarely shies away from the niggle.
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