Joe Marler, Star in the making
The introduction of Stuart Lancaster as England's interim coach for the next Six Nations tournament has given a chance to the fringe players to prove their worth along with the younger talent that English rugby has waiting in the wings. The options Lancaster has at prop will make him sweat with the likes of Saracens Matt Stevens, the promising Alex Corbisiero and Andrew Sheridan who has seen it all whilst representing England. But what about the Harlequinsplayer Joe Marler?
At the tender age of 22, he still has a lot to learn but he is well on the way to becoming a standout player with Harlequins as his work rate and attitude towards the game is impressive. The little things rugby players do sometimes get them noticed by the media whether it's the brightly coloured boots or wearing short shorts but with Marler, it was the Mohican hair cut that saw him become a stand out figure. The Quins prop joined their academy in June 2008 and went on to make his first A league appearance for them against London Wasps that season. He has been involved with England from Under 18's where in the 2007/2008 season, Joe was part of the team that won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations tournament.
Joe was called up to the under 20's squad for the Six Nations but he took no part in it due to being injured throughout. Injury didn't keep him out for long as he represented the under 20's side throughout the Junior World Championships in 2009. His consistent form didn't go unnoticed as then England coach Martin Johnson picked Joe for his squad as injury cover during the autumn internationals and things got better for the prop when he was called up to the Saxons team to face Italy A and Ireland A. Joe started against the Azzurri, also a notable debut season at Quins saw him picked to play against the Barbarians at Twickenham this summer.
So what does Marler need to do to stamp a place in the team? Well with legends like Will Greenwood giving him praise he is well on the way to becoming one of the top prop's in England however the players that he will have to push past to have a chance of being in the side will require Joe to be performing at a top level consistently. Time is on his side being only 22 but it's the competition he is up against which will make him step up a notch. Andrew Sheridan has set the bar during his seven year tenure with the team and will be a hard man to displace but at the age of 32, Lancaster may prefer youth over experience in the forthcoming Six Nations. The same could be said for Matt Stevens who has had a rollercoaster of a career including a two year ban for drug taking but besides that, every time he has put on the England jersey since as part of the starting front row or as a substitute he has always put his heart on the line for his country. Alex Corbisiero, who burst onto the England scene as a replacement to Sheridan against Italy back in February and has turned a number of heads with his England performances.
With these players standing in his way, Marler has got a long way to go. But if he continues his development and hardwork then he could be pulling on the England jersey sooner rather than later.
