England and Harlequins prop Joe Marler has finally broken his silence on the Alun Wyn Jones incident - and his response is as hilarious as you'd expect.
“We spoke when the huge storm was going off, then,” revealed Marler, who was speaking on the Virtual Rugby Show in support of Lawrence Dallaglio’s RugbyWorks foundation.
“I understood his position as a 140-odd capped international with some heavy gravitas in the game, the position he holds and the pressure he can sometimes be put under.
“What I did was inappropriate and wrong on that stage. The people that came out and compared it to sexual assault in the workplace completely blew my mind but I did stop for a second and take on their opinions and how they were made to feel about it all.
Editors Picks:
- 20 Players Who Looked So Different In Their Youth
- INSPIRING | Rugby players who overcame disabilities
- Ranked! The experience at every Premiership ground
- LIST: 5 epic rugby union spats on Twitter
- 20 things we miss about rugby in the 90s
“They are completely entitled to their opinion and I respect that. However, I didn’t sexually assault someone in the workplace. I tickled someone’s k**b, as a laugh, who I’d known for several years now, on the wrong stage, really.
“I should have probably waited for there not to be cameras around but it was a bit of a brain fart.”
JOIN THE RUCK:
7 things you didn’t know about Joe Marler
1. Starting out
Marler started his career at Haywards Heath RFC in Sussex where he played in the same side as fellow England international Billy Twelvetrees.
2. Not a one-club man?
After joining the Quins academy in 2008, the prop spent some time on loan to Esher and Worthing
3. Lions scorer
Despite failing to cross the whitewash in his 66 caps since making his England debut in 2012, he did score in one of his two appearances for the British & Irish Lions during the 2017 tour to New Zealand.
4. Nickname
He's been nicknamed Croissant. In his own words, it's because: “The boys think I have a nose that looks like a French pastry.”
5. Captain fantastic
Marler was captain for England at U18s level and represented the U20 squad throughout the Junior World Championship in summer 2009.
6. Pet ducks
He is obviously a fan of Friends, except he added his own twist to it by choosing two ducks instead of having a chicken.
7. Partner
Marler is happily married to long-term partner Daisy, with whom he has three children. Jasper, 5, and Maggie, 3, were joined by another new born just before the World Cup commenced.
