England captain Jamie George has described Joe Marler’s ‘haka jibe’ as ‘classic Joe’ and admitted it may have ‘prodded the bear’ ahead of Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series opener against New Zealand.
The comments from Marler - which were later deleted - provoked a response from the All Blacks camp with New Zealand boss Scott Robertson stating the England prop could ‘have articulated himself a little bit better.’
On Thursday evening, Marler then posted an apology on 'X' saying he 'meant no malice in asking for it [the haka] to be binned' and that he 'just wanted to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction'.
Currently, World Rugby states that when only one team is performing a challenge (i.e. the haka), no player from the team receiving the challenge may cross the halfway line.
How good were the Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France ‘07, Tokyo ‘19 or Samoa vs England rugby league responses? Create some entertaining drama before kick off. My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was shithouse and I should have done better at explaining things. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/5pzl5WDilC
“To be honest with you, it’s classic Joe,” said George, speaking before Marler's most recent post. "He’s always been a little bit close to the line, hasn't he, I suppose, with certain social media posts so nothing comes as a surprise with Joe.
“It's a conversation that Joe and I actually had had the week before; thoughts on it, what can we do back to it, all that kind of thing. I guess he's sort of prodded the bear a little bit.
“It’s not a big talking point other than when Joe tweets about it. It's not a huge talking point because we're playing against the All Blacks. It's a huge game for us. When you play against the All Blacks, you'll remember every game you play against the All Blacks, whether it's at home, whether it's away, whether it's at a World Cup or not.”
George - who is set to win his 94th cap on Saturday - added that Marler’s post hasn’t been ‘unhelpful’ in terms of England’s preparations but also said he disagreed with the views of his teammate.
He said: “I really enjoy it [the haka]. Growing up as a big rugby fan, it was always something I enjoyed watching, and I’ve been lucky enough to face it a few times. I love the history of it.
“Joe and I, we don’t always agree on everything, so we disagree on this certain topic. I have friends from the Pacific Islands that have explained to me pretty well what it’s all about, that it’s a challenge that you lay down. It’s a brilliant part of the game and a great spectacle.”
George’s opinions were also echoed by England coach Kevin Sinfield, who faced the haka as a player during his international rugby league career.
“I am the same,” Sinfield said. “I loved facing them as a player and then to be able to face them as a coach has been great too. To be able to see it in a different guise, seeing it as a supporter as well, I think it is a great part of the sport.
“The 82,000 who will be there on Saturday will be really looking forward to seeing the haka. I don’t think it ever gets old and the emotion of it. I have no doubt how important it is for New Zealand and it is important we are very respectful in our response to it.”
George revealed that the England squad will discuss whether they will respond to the haka on Saturday, something the skipper was a part of in the summer - with a collective step forward - but more so during the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
On that occasion, England infamously lined up in a V-shaped formation but George said if they did respond, it would not be disrespectful towards New Zealand.
“We'll have a little chat about it, myself and some of the senior players but, yeah, there might be something,” George said.
“I think as long as it's respectful, yes. If it comes from the right place, yes. I think there is certainly a limit to it but, again, that's my understanding from speaking to friends of mine who have performed the haka and have a good understanding of it so I think that you should be entitled to that.
“The V shape was interesting. Obviously, Eddie [Jones] was a coach at the time who had faced the All Blacks a lot more than any of us and I think it was him that came up with the idea. It was pitched to us the night before the game.
“I think what we did well in the summer was we obviously had a bit of inside scoop with Ethan Roots and Chandler Cunningham-South having grown up in New Zealand themselves so we sort of dug into it a little bit there and asked their opinion.
“Taking a step forward for us symbolised that we weren't going to take a step back, and we welcomed the challenge.”
Whether the chain of events sparked by Marler will amplify the atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday and give New Zealand an added incentive, we will have to wait and see but either way, George is raring to go as England seek a first home win over the All Blacks in 12 years.
“What I love about the haka at Twickenham is you hear the noise, you hear the theatre that comes with the haka,” George said. “That's part of what I love about it. It's not just our reaction, it's the fans' reaction.
“It's the cheering, all the chanting that goes on with it. That's the stuff that makes rugby special. That's why I've always been a huge fan of it.
“What I've liked is that it hasn't distracted us as a team. We have been so focused and narrow-minded around the game and the gameplan and the tactics and where we need to be.
“That little stuff, the emotion stuff, as a captain you build that throughout a week, or as a team our responsibility is to build that throughout a week so that stuff comes later.
“You guys [the media] can focus on the haka. Whether we do a response or not, I'm not sure. What I know is it's going to be a fierce contest.”
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