Joe Marler has hit out at the furious backlash he’s received after he was caught fondling the genitals of Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones’ during England’s 33-30 victory at Twickenham.
‘B****cks. Complete b****cks,’ the England loosehead tweeted.
I love @JoeMarler pic.twitter.com/ZzyrmdbpJA
— David Arrieta (@arrietadavid1) March 7, 2020
The clip immediately went viral on social media. Some found it hilarious, including Marler’s former England teammate James Haskell who labelled the prop “a genius” for his hijinks.
Others were shocked by what they considered assault on the field.
The England forward could be cited and banned for between 12 weeks and four years for the act.
Here’s another example of Marler’s questionable tactics, shared by BT Sport presenter Tim Cocker.
As I mentioned on the pod, this has happened before.
— Tim Cocker (@cocker) March 9, 2020
Perhaps you think him having “previous” means the punishment should be more severe?
Only issue with that is that many outraged now, laughed then.
We can have a ‘learning moment’ without “cancelling” a good man. #BeKind? pic.twitter.com/FlaBbumLv6
This time because it was a standard Premiership game without the same media attention, most people just laughed it off.
Marler is not the only England player to come out of the 33-30 victory in trouble, with Manu Tuilagi also potentially facing a ban for a dangerous tackle on George North which resulted in the centre being shown a red card.
Tuilagi must appear before a disciplinary hearing – most likely on Tuesday.