A viral photo of Joe Marler during his England U18 days has left fans astounded, as the front-rower appears almost unrecognisable.
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Despite his slightly more mature appearance compared to teammates, Marler’s early career with club and country didn’t draw much attention.
However, upon joining the Harlequins’ first team, he underwent a dramatic transformation, covering himself in tattoos, sporting dyed hair, and cultivating his iconic mullet and Viking-like beard.
One fan said: “Who is this? Doesn’t look like Marler at all?”
A second said: “Marler has definitely aged like a fine wine,”
Marler is in no doubt as to why he started life as a prop way back in 2003.
“I was the short, fat one basically,” he says. “I used to think being a prop was all about just being a power player, but I’ve learned a lot from my time here and with England. Scrummaging is my main strength, but I realise the need to get around the park and become a ball-carrier in today’s game.
“You only have to look at players like Andrew Sheridan and Carl Hayman to see that.”
The 33-man England Squad Steve Borthwick Should Select For Summer Tour
It’s been a decade since England’s last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
The memories of the 2008 tour aren’t any sweeter, with England tasting defeat in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup.
In this highly anticipated tour, Borthwick’s squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo.
Here is the list of our predicted squad organised by their current clubs:
RUCK’s England squad for the summer:
Harlequins
- Joe Marler
- Fin Baxter
- Chandler Cunningham-South
- Marcus Smith
Bristol Bears
- Harry Randall
- Gabriel Ibitoye
Saracens
- Jamie George
- Theo Dan
- Maro Itoje
- Ben Earl
- Elliot Daly