New Zealand has united against England rugby star Joe Marler after he called for the haka to be banned, with many figures within the country furious at his comments.
The prop, who will miss England’s clash with the All Blacks on Saturday, recently branded the traditional Maori dance ‘ridiculous’ in a post on social media.
“The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous,” he wrote on X.
Marler then added: “It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.”
New Zealand has united against England rugby star Joe Marler after he called for the haka to be banned, with many figures within the country furious at his comments.
GETTY
The England star has since deleted his X account, having been met with widespread criticism.
Marler previously riled New Zealand back in 2019 when facing the All Blacks. On that occasion he crossed the halfway line, something that players are forbidden to do, while the country performed the haka.
That decision saw England hit with a fine of 2,000 fine for breaching tournament rules ‘relating to cultural challenges’.
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And figures within New Zealand have now come out in condemnation of Marler.
ACT leader David Seymour suggested the 34-year-old didn’t have a very high IQ. He said, per Planet Rugby: “I love the haka. It wouldn’t be the All Blacks if they didn’t do the haka. Wo is this Joe Marler guy, I’ve never heard of him?”
When informed that Marler was an England prop, he then added: “Well, in my experience I have met a few props with very high IQ, but very few of them. So it could be something in that area.”
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Cultural advisor Mana Epiha believes Marler is ‘a little bit lost’.
And Maori cultural advisor Dr Karaitiana Taiuru has accused the England star of showing a ‘lack of appreciation for traditions’.
“Calling for it to be binned with no reasoning shows a lack of appreciation for traditions which is a contradiction for any rugby player, cultural appreciation and lack of open mindedness,” Taiuru said.
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England rugby star Joe Marler believes New Zealand’s iconic haka is ‘ridiculous’PA
“All teams should be able to, if they chose to, perform a cultural ceremony before an international sports game.”
And Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira CEO Helmut Modlik has also accused Marler of disrespect, too.
“For those who don’t know about the haka, who might speak ill of those cultural icons, it would be coming from a place of ignorance and would be ill-judged,” he said.
England rugby star Joe Marler has sensationally called for New Zealand’s iconic haka to be BANNED ahead of Saturday’s Autumn Nations series clash.GETTY
“Remember, while it is part of a sporting spectacle, the haka is a cultural taonga, treasure, gifted to NZRU to perform respectfully, which they do now.”
England face New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday (3.10pm).