News about Joe Marler

ALEX BYWATER: Veteran prop Joe Marler faces a race against time to be fit for England's autumn internationals and will miss the start of the new Gallagher Premiership with the foot injury he suffered in New Zealand.  Marler, 34, came off 17 minutes into the national side's 16-15 defeat by the All Blacks in Dunedin on July 6 and then flew home from the southern hemisphere. The Harlequins front row was wearing a boot to protect his left foot at the club's open training session at The Stoop on Wednesday afternoon.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: At the 2003 World Cup, the England team I was coaching took a lot of criticism from the rugby media for our performance in the quarter-final victory over Wales. It wasn't our best game by any stretch and the Welsh gave us a real scare. But the most important thing was we won the game. I remember after that Wales match, the decorated journalist Jeff Powell of Mail Sport - who is now an MBE - came up to me. Jeff couldn't believe the flak I and the team had got.

CHRIS FOY IN AUCKLAND: The national coach is demonstrating an increasingly assertive streak on this tour. He was in his element yesterday after including Fin Baxter in an otherwise unchanged starting XV; emphasising how the pressure is on the All Blacks at their Eden Park stronghold, how England have unsettled their rivals and how the home scrum requires official scrutiny. Last weekend, Borthwick suggested that all the onus is on Scott Robertson's Kiwi side this week and he doubled down on that view by revealing an awkward encounter with a bullish, partisan local as England flew out of the south island.

CHRIS FOY IN AUCKLAND: Harlequins' rookie loosehead, Fin Baxter, has been picked for his first Test start, having made a fine impact as an early replacement last weekend, in the one-point defeat against the All Blacks in Dunedin. The 22-year-old has been promoted in place of his injured club-mate, Joe Marler, as the only change to the tourists' XV, as the latest example of Steve Borthwick 's commitment to selection continuity. In the aftermath of England's agonising loss at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Quins' scrum coach, Adam Jones - speaking to Mail Sport - cast doubt on how the home No 1, Ethan De Groot, was able to gain the upper hand on Will Stuart, England's tighthead

Steve Borthwick is not known for mind games, but England's head coach is dabbling with the dark arts as he seeks to keep the heat and glare on New Zealand and off his players. England flew to Auckland yesterday to regroup and review after their one-point defeat here on Saturday, before the build-up to the series finale at Eden Park. A close encounter at Forsyth Barr Stadium saw the All Blacks seal a tense victory, which seemingly shifted some pressure away from Scott Robertson's new regime and on to the tourists. But Borthwick is determined to shift it back again.

England have suffered a setback in their bid to level their series against New Zealand after prop Joe Marler was ruled out of the second Test in Auckland because of a foot injury. Marler was replaced in the 17th minute of the 16-15 defeat in the opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium and the Rugby Football Union has confirmed he has been withdrawn from the squad. Uncapped Northampton loosehead Emmanuel Iyogun, 23, will arrive in New Zealand on Tuesday to take his place, providing support for Fin Baxter and Bevan Rodd.

There were so, so many positives to take from England's display in Dunedin. But the bottom line is that Steve Borthwick and his players missed a huge, huge opportunity to claim what would have been an historic win in New Zealand. They will be shattered to have lost by the narrowest of margins and should have plenty of regrets about doing so. International rugby is about results. That's all that matters. And New Zealand were absolutely there for the taking. So, while England can be very pleased with their performance, the bottom line is they lost the game.

CHRIS FOY IN DUNEDIN: England captain Jamie George and his senior team-mates will decide on Friday whether to deliver an unorthodox response to the All Blacks' Haka - as they strive to make a name for themselves here. Hours after further evidence emerged that the hosts pay little heed to the threat posed by these tourists, George discussed the possibility of making a pre-match statement at Forsyth Barr Stadium ahead of Saturday's first Test. In the process, he reflected on how England's 'V' formation to stare down the Haka prior to the 2019 World Cup semi-final had helped to set the tone for that historic victory over New Zealand in Yokohama, Japan.

CHRIS FOY IN AUCKLAND: The 33-year-old Harlequins prop will line up at loosehead against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday, more than 12 years since his international debut. Having previously retired from England duty before having a re-think, the jovial front-rower and Mail Sport columnist continues to have a profound impact on the fortunes of the national team. Borthwick paid tribute to Marler and Cole - who will be among the reserves this weekend, as Will Stuart has been picked to start at tighthead.

CHRIS FOY IN AUCKLAND: While the rest of the Red Rose line-up is unchanged, the front row has been overhauled after the 52-17 win over Japan in Tokyo on June 22. Marler returns to the No 1 shirt in place of Bevan Rodd, with the Sale loosehead omitted from the match-day 23 entirely for Saturday's series opener in Dunedin. Quins veteran Marler will win a 95th cap for his country at the age of 33.

Bath prop Beno Obano must wait to discover when he will be cleared to play again, after being handed a four-game ban for the dangerous tackle which led to a red card in the Premiership Final. The 29-year-old England loosehead was sent off just 21 minutes into the domestic showpiece after a high shot on Northampton No 8 Juarno Augustus.  In his absence, the West Country club were edged out by the Saints, who clinched the league title after finishing top of the table.

England's summer tour plans have been further disrupted after Bristol confirmed that Ellis Genge will miss the trip to Japan and New Zealand due to an untimely calf injury. The 29-year-old prop was helped off at the end of the first half as his club finished their Premiership season with a win over Harlequins at The Stoop last Saturday. Following a scan, Genge has learned that he will be out for around 10 weeks, meaning England will have to cope without another of their pack stalwarts - after Ollie Chessum was ruled out of the tour as a result of shoulder surgery.

Dancing along to upbeat trance music, Toulouse's fanatical support stood 10 deep to welcome Antoine Dupont and Co to this European semi-final. As they did so, they unfurled a giant banner on which was written the slogan 'Red Kingdom'. The home fans booed the arrival of Harlequins stars Joe Marler and Marcus Smith. Marler embraced the abuse, breaking into a trademark grin and holding his hand to his ear. Home heroes Dupont, Romain Ntamack and Englishman Jack Willis lapped up the adulation.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY NIK SIMON: Fin Baxter looks down the River Thames from his flat in Teddington, pointing out the pathway that eventually leads to Craven Cottage. When Harlequins do not have a game, the young prop digs out his Fulham season ticket, dreaming of a day when his team overtake Chelsea. 'I go with my school friend, Harry Cain,' he explains. 'We meet in East Putney and catch the bus over Putney Bridge. We're happy to be cementing ourselves in the Premier League. Mid-table Fulham is better than yo-yo Fulham. We're going to catch Chelsea!

CRAIG HOPE: The journey that brought Mark Clattenburg on board with the Daily Mail began in the foyer of a social club in Seaham in 2017. He was - not for the first time and, as this week shows, not for the last - at the centre of a media storm. The best referee in the world, he was quitting the Premier League for Saudi Arabia halfway through the season. It was back-page news. Clattenburg, however, had a commitment to give a talk to raise money for a junior football club close to his County Durham home. I bought a ticket and sat at the back of the room. Moments before the scheduled start, he was made aware of my presence and left the stage. He wanted a chat in the foyer. Was I about to get a red card?

This player may have been a regular member of Steve Borthwick's England squad in 2024, but almost 20 years ago, he may have been preparing for Ireland ahead of the team's Six Nations match on Saturday. The heavily decorated player had split loyalties for a while, until a youth rugby team treated him properly. Here, the player weighs in on the highly awaited Twickenham tussle. Can you guess who it might be?

CHRIS FOY: England seems to have crossed the road as they brace for a showdown with Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday. They have reached a difficult junction, in fact, all the lights are off, and they don't have a map. When Steve Borthwick took over the national team in December 2022, the buzz word was 'clarity,' and that was achieved with a narrow game-plan at the new World Cup.

OLIVER HOLT AT MURRAYFIELD: They waited by the statue of Doddie Weir, the male and female rugby players with the worst job in the sport this weekend. The Whitburn Band's slogan, "The Bus is Onward," beckoned the bus, boosted the St George's Cross, and then marched the England team through Murrayfield as they waited for it to appear, cheered the team's massed ranks of Scotland supporters. Much has been written about these moments in recent weeks, including how the pipers who have coached England teams on this slow parade in previous years have hurled the agony of visiting visitors as they are exposed to the full force of Scottish enmity. As the players progressed to the point where the bus disgorges the players, several England players have expressed how they felt the Calcutta Cup had been lost before they set foot on the pitch.

JOE MARLER: I'm a Seagull fan until I die, but the Manchester United 1990-92 away shirt is my favorite. It's proper retro, I just love it! It's most likely because it's Brighton colours. However, I loved the Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, and Bryan Robson era before the youth took over and rule the world.

NIK SIMON IN EDINBURGH: George Furbank has been given a late start in England's Calcutta Cup match against Scotland. Furbank hasn't started a Test since 2022, but Freddie Steward has been recalled in the No. 15 jersey. England is bracing for the unpredictable attacking capabilities of Scotland's No 10 Finn Russell - and Furbank's attacking skills could be highly suited to an unstructured game.

In their Six Nations homecoming against Wales on Saturday, England will be on a passion trip. They want to generate on the field and in the stands at Twickenham to make money. They don't want the visitors to have a monopoly on big-match emotion. Steve Borthwick's settling team is determined to re-engage with the country's rugby public by demonstrating exactly how much money this historic fixture and rivalry means to them. The Welsh are not the only ones motivated by a zealous desire to gain cross-border bragging rights at the expense of their neighbors. Every year, it's the same; Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, for example, are all expected to fuel their drive to lower the English colours as a matter of utmost national significance. However, it also works in reverse. That's the message that has come from new England captain Jamie George's loud and clear.

Preparation is the key to successful atheletes. To ensure they perform at their best ability, having the right kit stored in their bag prior to a game is critical. Joe Marler, an England rugby player, has a few things he cannot do without on a matchday or when he goes on tour, including a pair of wetsuit gloves and a Bane mask from DC Comics. England has flown to Girona to prepare for the forthcoming Six Nations championship, with Marler being one of only 16 people in Steve Borthwick's 35-man squad to compete at last year's Rugby World Cup.

NIK SIMON, BY ExklusIVE: Joe Marler's feet are seen starting with dragging his kit bag up the stairs at England's warm-weather training base on the Costa Brava coast. 'Why are you laughing?' He asks as his meshed, bright-yellow boots glows in the afternoon sunshine. 'Canoe shoes,' he says. You never know when you're going to canoeing.' Just as you never know where the talks are going in Marler's company. Since circumstances inevitably veer off topic, there is no point in doing an interview prep. It's all part of his appeal - a maverick presence in a sport where so often follows corporate scripts. He's walking towards a table in the shade when he sees a robotic lawn mower snoodling its way into the gardens. 'That's a lovely bit of kit, isn't it?Do you think they'd notice if I put it in my bag?' His attention shifts to his teenage years as a turf-layer, earning £50 a day, sparking second questions about gardeners being replaced by technology.

The atmosphere instantly became palliatory as Jamie George stepped foot in the meeting room at England's training base in Spain. He took a peek at a journalist's laptop as they made a restaurant reservation for lunch and joked: 'Why don't you book a round of golf while you're at it?' The room was immediately brimming with good humor. At captain's media briefings over the past few years, laughter has been in short supply. Welcome to the new age.