England captain Jamie George fears Joe Marler will provoke New Zealand by calling for the haka to be scrapped ahead of Saturday’s game at the Allianz Stadium.
George believes Mahler “provoked the bear” after writing on social media site
Mahler will not face the All Blacks in their autumn opener after leaving camp on Monday morning for personal reasons and it is doubtful whether he will feature in the remaining games against Australia, South Africa and Japan.
In an unexpected twist, it emerged the 34-year-old professional could still feature against New Zealand if starter Ellis Genge or replacement Fin Baxter are ruled out.
After initially agreeing to keep him on standby, England have informed Trevor Davison that he will act as an emergency evacuation in the unlikely event that Genge or Baxter become unavailable.
Mahler’s comments about the Maori war dance sparked a fierce backlash in New Zealand, with All Blacks coach Scott Robertson responding on Thursday by calling it “a great tradition in rugby” and saying Harlequin should have chosen his words more carefully. He added that he did.
George does not share the views of his controversial front-row colleague, who is suspected of having given the 2023 World Cup runners extra motivation.
“The Haka was something I always enjoyed watching as a rugby fan growing up and I was lucky enough to see it a few times. I love the history of the Haka,” said George.
“Joe and I don’t always agree on everything, so we disagree on certain topics. That’s typical Joe, to be honest.”
“He’s always been a little close to certain social media posts, so it’s no surprise to him. We had a little chat this week and I just said, ‘Cheers, thank you so much!'”
“That’s a conversation Joe and I had a week ago when we actually started thinking about the haka. How can we bring it back? Things like that. I think he probably provoked the bear a little bit.”
England are plotting a possible response to the All Blacks’ famous pre-match ritual as they seek their first win in a match at Twickenham since 2012.
Eddie Jones’ England faced Haka in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals before adopting a V-formation to secure a stunning victory. Robertson described it as a “cool” way to do a war dance.
“We’ll talk about it a little bit, me and the senior players, but yeah, it could be something,” George said.
“What I love about the Haka at Twickenham is that you can hear the noise and the theater that comes with it.”
“It’s not just about our reaction. It’s the fans’ reaction and the cheering and chanting that comes with it. That’s what makes rugby special.”
“What I know is you can do whatever you want to Haka, but fundamentally it depends on how we stand up physically against the All Blacks and that’s what we have to focus on.”
Assistant coach Kevin Sinfield insists Marler is “doing well” and expects a clearer picture of his availability for the remaining matches of the Autumn Nations Series to come at the weekend.
Marler has spoken at length about his mental health issues and missed the England camp due to depression.
