Joe Marler has "loaded the gun" for the All Blacks ahead of Twickenham rematch

Joe Marler made headlines for his take on the Haka this week and it has revved up the All Blacks ahead of Saturday's encounter as New Zealand skipper Scott Barrett underlines its importance

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett admitted Joe Marler had "loaded the gun" for them following his Haka comments earlier this week.

The England prop, who has left the camp for personal reasons, stoked the fire when he said that the Haka was "ridiculous" - comments he has since u-turned on and clarified - but it has still rattled the tourists who have hit back.

The talking will stop on Saturday afternoon when England and New Zealand square off for a third time this year. Few see the All Blacks as the force they once were and they look to have gleaned additional motivation from the English prop with their skipper ready to lead his team out to do a job at Twickenham.

He said: “He has probably loaded the gun hasn’t he? I guess there always opinions about the Haka and its place. It is hugely important to us and has been to the All Blacks for a long time, we get a lot from it."

Quizzed on a potential challenge to the Haka he added: "Whatever the team brings and you face you love it, if they walk forward it means they are up for the first whistle. If that happens, we know we are in for a good Test match. We don’t need any extra motivation heading to Twickenham against a team that would desperately love to beat us so we have got to respect what is coming."

New Zealand's last visit to Twickenham saw them draw 25-25 after a late rally from the hosts. Their last win in the English capital was back in 2018 and Barrett knows winning at HQ is no easy task with several of his team-mates experiencing the atmosphere for the first time.

He said: “It is not being surprised by what England bring and we have made mention of the crowd. Hopefully they are not as vocal as they can be.

"They haven’t had a Test match since they played us in July. They will have that stone in their shoe they have been carrying for a while and will want to shake that with a good performance. We have touched on the threats they pose and learned a few lessons on how we need to play."

In preparation for the clash this weekend several of the New Zealand camp headed to Arsenal to spend a day with the Premier League contenders. Barrett himself wasn't present but numerous individuals were able to sample another high performance environment.

The All Blacks lock joked that he went to Brentford the last time the team were in England and wasn't about to be swapping allegiances.

"It was a great experience for the guys who did go," he said. "I didn't go myself. I went to Brentford last year and I'm not going to be jumping around clubs. They really enjoyed the day out. It's next level when you go to Premiership clubs."

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The rugby Autumn Internationals kicks off on November 2 with England vs. New Zealand at Twickenham.

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