Joe Marler relishes England return after break from game

England international Joe Marler reflects on his toughest phase of his career when he decided to take a break from the game.

The Harlequins prop made himself unavailable for the England tour of Australia last year after consultation with head coach Eddie Jones following the kicking incident involving Grenoble hooker Arnaud Héguy during the European Challenge Cup semi-final for which he was handed another two-week ban.

Earlier, he was also suspended for two games for making inappropriate comments against Wales prop Samson Lee during their 2016 Six Nations match at Twickenham.

The 26-year-old turned to sports psychologist Jeremy Snape to revive his career and has successfully managed to reclaim his spot with the red rose team after making it to the XV in the opening two rounds of the ongoing Six Nations tournament.

"I didn't know how it was going to pan out," the Harlequins loosehead said.

"At that point I didn't care...without sounding like....of course I care, but at that point I was like, 'that is not important to me'.

"Instead, I wanted to go away with the family for five weeks and actually spend some time with the kids, enjoy it, come back to pre-season with Harlequins and hit it hard and see where I ended up.

"I had to make that judgement knowing that I may not get back in the squad again. As well as Eddie took it, there was always that chance.

"Stepping away from rugby a little bit and making more effort with my family, and realising that they are my number one priority and the thing that I enjoy most, has helped on the field. Doing less is more in that regard."

Recalling the "gypsy boy" comment on Lee, Marler said he had sorted the difference out with the 24-year-old.

"I have not been punched yet which is a surprise, especially in that Wales game," he said.

"I hadn't seen Samson since last year's incident so we had a smile at each other and then had a good catch-up afterwards. It was good to see him. There was never any beef between me and Samson Lee."

Mako Vunipola made a successful comeback for Saracens, where he featured for all 80 minutes and has been reinstated into the England training squad following a knee injury.

Vunipola's possible return also means Marler might have to be at his best to continue retaining his place and the Harlequins star believes it is a healthy problem to have for England.

"Over the years we've always had, not really a good battle for the shirt because that implies there's a bit of friction between us, which there never has been - it's always been friendly, helping each other out," he said.

"It's great to have Mako back. The competition is still there with Ellis Genge and Matt Mullan but Mako, like he showed in the autumn and the summer, is that different calibre - and that's not being disrespectful to the other boys involved.

"He's set the standard for what a loosehead does in the way he plays the game. He's a great character and he brings a lot to the squad, on and off the field."