News about Joe Marler

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.

Ellis Genge is expected to be fit for the start of England's Six Nations campaign after the prop made a Wolverine-style comeback to training with Steve Borthwick's side in Spain. After suffering a hamstring injury in preparation with his team, the Bristol Bears, at the start of December, Prop Genge, a certain starter for national head coach Borthwick, had a doubt about the tournament opener in Rome on February 3. However, MailSport understands that the 28-year-old trained with England in Girona on Wednesday and later took part in a gym session on Thursday as he returns to full fitness.

After suffering an injection in his neck, Jamie George will miss Saracens' crucial match against Lyon on Saturday, but his side is confident that England's new captain will be fit for the Six Nations' first round. To qualify for the Champions Cup last 16, the struggling Premiership champions must beat Lyon at the StoneX Stadium, but they will not be able to do it without their veteran hooker. However, Saracens chief of rugby Mark McCall allayed any concerns that the man named by Steve Borthwick to lead the national team is a mystery against Italy in Rome on February 3.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: This is the first thing I want to say is congratulations to Jamie George for being crowned England captain. I can see why they've chosen him. He's clearly a good communicator, a good whistle, and, most important, a superb player. He has also been England's most consistent performer during a challenging period, superbly controls the referee, and is the best player in his position. All major ticks on my captaincy checklist are checked. George has also been an unofficial spokesperson for the overseas playing rules and centralized labour, which is not by chance.

Mako Vunipola, an England prop, has announced his retirement from international rugby. Vunipola has earned 79 caps in a career that began in 2012 and has also appeared in nine Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions. The 32-year-old Saracens forward missed last year's World Cup due to back surgery, but he was supposed to be involved in the forthcoming Six Nations.

On February 2, the much-anticipated Six Nations tournament will return to our screens as France takes on Ireland in the first match. The Six Nations last year was full of drama as Ireland defeated France for the champion's medal. A trailer has been updated ahead of its return to Netflix as the full contact Netflix film was not shown. The inside look - which is set to air on January 24 - will give viewers an inside look at life as a professional rugby player.

Marler sustained his arm against Gloucester last month, and with the Six Nations just weeks away, he is yet to be given a return date. Ellis Genge, Mako Vunipola, Bevan Rodd, and Val Rapava-Ruskin are among Marler's fellow looseheads, who have been either injured or suspended. Danny Wilson, Quins' coach, said, "There is already a little bit of assessment going on." At the moment, Jokoe is a week-by-week process that allows you to make a complete assessment of the time period and the timeframe.'

COMMENT BY SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The more teams kick the ball and thus play in the opposition's half, the more likely they will win the game. Booting boot to ball will result in improved playing ability on the track, but I'm worried that coaches and players are now slaves to the notion. On Sunday, when we saw a ludicrous passage of play during Bath's West Country derby victory over Gloucester, the dominance of kicking reached its peak.

Ellis Genge is competing against time to be fit for the start of the Six Nations, a predicament that may have repercussions for Steve Borthwick's decision about the England captaincy. Since the Bears' 51-26 home victory over Gloucester on December 2, the prop hasn't appeared since the Bears' 51-26 home win over Gloucester. Genge sustained a hamstring injury in preparation, and Bristol's initial forecast was that he would be fully fit for the Six Nations. However, Mail Sport has learned that Genge has been using a hyperbaric chamber, which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised environment, in an attempt to accelerate his recovery, but is not expected to make a club comeback before joining the England squad.

CHRIS FOY: Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is expected to play international rugby, probably very soon. What is less certain is whether Exeter's sensational rookie wing will represent Wales or England. The 21-year-old's Man of the Match performance in the Chiefs' victory over Bristol at a packed Ashton Gate last Friday night just served to fuel the growing interest surrounding him - as well as the curiosity regarding his international ambitions. Feyi-Waboso was decidedly coy when asked about his Test prospects after scoring a spectacular try and demonstrating that he already has a vast arsenal in attack and defense. The young sensation from Cardiff revealed that he had no contact from either Wales or England, which he also qualifies for. Feyi-Waboso was asked if the situation had changed, and his reply - verbatim - was: "Erm... hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah... I don't know." I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure about this.' 'I have nothing to say on it,' he continued.'

The 16-year-old beat his idol over 105 to set up a match against Brendan Dolan, who beat former two-time champion Gary Anderson in a tight battle on Saturday. In his first year, Littler has won a prize fund worth at least £50,000, but many will be backed by him to defeat Dolan and progress to the top of the tournament in his debut year. In the tie, he raced to a 3-0 lead before Van Barneveld pulled one back to close the gap to two. It was still early, but it was too little, too late, and Little continued to make history at the Alexandra Palace.

To bring viewers closer to the action, the Gallagher Premiership and its major league broadcaster TNT Sports want to include player microphone recordings in 2024. While playing is already common in other sports such as cricket, players or participants are being "micked up," rugby's plans are being implemented more often. It's part of the English domestic game's attempt to involve its fan base and television audience in a new way and make it more available to viewers at home.

The products are split between excitement over the 'amazing' feats of their latest, teenage prop prospect's - and not wanting to make him a target due to premature hype. Asher Opoku-Fordjour is quickly making a name for himself just three games into his senior professional career. The 19-year-old has shot to fame in the last few weeks, with eye-catching cameo appearances in the Sharks' 1st XV and a slew of new followers. Opoku-Fordjour seems to have a unique repertoire at such a young age. The rookie started off as a wing at Kenilworth RFC and then moved to Sale last fall after Wasps' sudden demise, where he had come from a wing. In his explosive running, footwork, and off-loading skills, his backline experience is evident. He has an inherent X-factor.