Joe Marler apologizes to New Zealand fans after calling for Haki to be abandoned

England spokesman Joe Marler has apologized after calling for Haka to be written off.

Marler egged New Zealand on ahead of Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series opener at Allianz Stadium, writing on social media X on Tuesday night: “Haka needs triage. This is funny.”

All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson said the Harlequins forward, who left the England squad on Monday for personal reasons and will not face New Zealand, could have chosen his words more carefully.

Marler returned to the X on Thursday night and said: “Hello rugby fans. Just wanted to come on here and apologize to all the New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly worded tweet earlier in the week.

“I did not mean any malice when I asked for this to be removed, I just want the restrictions to be lifted so that I can respond without sanctions.

“How good were the rugby league responses from Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France 2007, Tokyo 19 or Samoa v England? Create entertaining drama before you begin. My flippant attempt to spark discussion around this was disgusting and I should have done a better job of explaining things.

“I am grateful for the knowledge gained about how important haka is to New Zealand culture and hope that others will understand it better too.

“There will now be a mega rugby event on Saturday at 3pm. England with a 6 point lead. Now I’ll go back to my attention box. Much love x.”

Speaking earlier on Thursday, England captain Jamie George feared Marler had provoked New Zealand by calling for the Haka to be scrapped and had “pushed the bear”.

It is doubtful Marler will feature in the remaining autumn matches against Australia, South Africa and Japan.

In a surprise twist, the 34-year-old is still available to play against New Zealand should either opener Ellis Genge or substitute Fin Baxter be dropped.

England initially agreed to have him on standby, but then warned Trevor Davison that he would act as emergency cover in the unlikely event that Genge or Baxter became unavailable.

Marler’s comments about the Maori war dance sparked a furious reaction in New Zealand, with Robertson reacting by calling it “the great tradition of rugby”.

George does not share the view of his controversial front row colleague, who he suspects has provided extra motivation for the 2023 World Cup finalists.

“I’ve always loved watching Haka, being a big rugby fan, and I’ve been lucky enough to come across it a few times. I love the story,” George said.

“Joe and I, we don’t always agree on everything, so we don’t agree on this particular topic. To be honest, this is classic Joe.

“He’s always been a little close to certain posts on social media, so it’s not surprising for him. We chatted a bit this week and I just said, “Hey mate, thanks a lot!”

“This is a conversation that Joe and I had a week ago – thoughts about Haka, what we can do about it, and all that. I think he pushed the bear a little.

England are planning a possible response to the All Blacks’ famous pre-match ritual as they seek their first match win at Twickenham since 2012.

Eddie Jones’ England took on the Haka ahead of their stunning 2019 World Cup semi-final victory in a V-shape. Robertson described it as an “amazing” way to end the war dance.

“We’ll talk about it a little bit, me and some of the senior players. But yeah, maybe there’s something,” George said.

“What I love about Haka in Twickenham is that there is noise and the theater associated with it.

“It’s not just our reaction. That’s the reaction of the fans – the applause and screaming that comes with it. This is what makes rugby special.

“What I know is that you can do whatever you want with the Haka, but essentially it will come down to how you physically counter the All Blacks and that’s what we have to focus on.”

Assistant coach Kevin Sinfield insists Marler is “doing fine” and expects a clearer picture of his fitness for the remainder of the autumn series to emerge over the weekend.

Marler has spoken at length about his mental health problems and missed training camp in England due to depression.