England skipper admits they have "prodded the bear" as All Blacks hit back at Haka comments

Joe Marler has made headlines for suggesting the Haka should be binned, which has resulted in an angry reaction from the New Zealand camp, with England skipper Jamie George

Jamie George fears Joe Marler’s haka taunts could backfire against England at Twickenham this weekend.

Prop Marler sparked outrage in New Zealand with his social media posts claiming the challenge should be ‘binned’ as cultural leaders and politicians took the bait. Marler left camp on Monday, for personal reasons, ahead of whipping up the storm and is not playing against the All Blacks in the first autumn international.

England are unsure if the veteran will be available for the other Tests but George is wary Marler could have riled up the Kiwis and his side will be left to feel the heat.

The England skipper said: “He's sort of prodded the bear a little bit. To be honest with you, it’s classic Joe. He’s always been a little bit close to the line, hasn't he, I suppose, with certain social media posts? So, nothing comes as a surprise with Joe. We've chatted a little bit this week and I just said, ‘cheers mate, thanks very much!’”

Assistant coach Kevin Sinfield grinned and added: “It is not like Joe to throw a hand grenade in, is it?” George has faced the haka for the Lions and England, most famously when a smirking Owen Farrell was at the point of an arrowhead ahead of the 2019 World Cup semi-final win.

On the summer tour England responded to it by taking a pace forward when the challenge started signalling they were not going to take a backward step.

George and senior players will meet on Friday to decide how they will respond to the haka but he hinted they have something up their sleeves. Hooker George relishes the face-off and revealed he and Marler have agreed to disagree about whether the war dance has a place in rugby.

George said: “Growing up as a big rugby fan it was always something I enjoyed watching. I love the history of it. Joe and I, we don’t always agree on everything, and we disagree on this certain topic. I love it. It’s not a big talking point other than when Joe tweets about it. You'll remember every game you play against the All Blacks, whether it's at home, whether it's away, whether it's at a World Cup or not.”

Just over 20 miles away from England’s Bagshot base at New Zealand’s training camp in Teddington their head coach Scott Robertson claimed Marler might be regretting his post.

Robertson said: “I wonder if he wished he could have articulated himself a little bit better on that. The haka for us is a custom, it's a part of who we are, it's our DNA. The boys are aware of it. We'll discuss it and decide how we deal with it respectfully.”

Sinfield experienced being on the other end of the haka in his days in rugby league and is in the same boat as George. “I loved facing them as a player,” he said. “The 82,000 who will be there on Saturday will be really looking forward to it, I don’t think it ever gets old or the emotion of it.”

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