- Veteran pro Joe Marler is expected to be out until October with a foot injury.
- The 34-year-old was substituted in England’s defeat to the All Blacks last month.
Veteran Joe Marler is racing against time to become available for England’s autumn internationals and will miss the start of the new Gallagher Premiership after picking up a foot injury in New Zealand.
The 34-year-old Marler returned home from the Southern Hemisphere after coming on as a substitute after 17 minutes of the national team’s 16-15 loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin on July 6.
The Harlequins front row wore boots to protect their left feet during the club’s open training session at Stuttgart on Wednesday afternoon.
Harlequins coach Danny Wilson has revealed that Marler will be out of action until October.
“It’s going to be a 12- to 14-week injury. It’s not a 12-week injury where you can come back in nine weeks. It’s an injury that takes time,” Wilson said of Mahler.
Joe Marler will be ruled out of England’s defeat to the All Blacks until October due to injury.
At 34, he now faces a race against time to return to action for England’s autumn internationals.
In Marler’s absence, Harlequins team-mate Finn Baxter, then 22, excelled as the loosehead prop for Steve Borthwick’s side.
With Marler currently out injured, Harlequins have signed Wales and British & Irish Lions international Wyn Jones to cover the front row.
“We looked at the squad and we were going to play three pre-season games and the first few league games without Joe,” Wilson said.
‘So our cupboard was a little empty at that point. It was the right decision for us to bring in Wyn for two reasons.
‘There’s a long-term perspective that we can cover a little bit more this season. Also, Win brings a wealth of experience.’
